Super Duper High School Sadist?
by Step Of Death
Summary: Canon AU. Happens shortly after Celes's execution. Togami finds out the identity of the Puppetmaster, but is forbidden to reveal it to the others, at the cost of his life. Now, it's up to him to figure out the many secrets lying in the academy, and he's willing to do whatever it takes to achieve that goal... Even if it means giving a certain psycho a taste of her own despair.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** **I do not own Danganronpa.**

 _ **A/N: Hey everyone. Hope you enjoy this story I thought of right after finishing the first game. It may seem like an unusual pair, but I really like it. I always try to make my stories as canon as possible, and in this case, it follows the main story until the death of Celes. For those who haven't played the game or haven't finished, go do so before reading it, since you can probably end up getting spoilers. I'm basically altering the main route slightly, but I'm still following it's general idea. You have been warned.**_

 _ **I'd like to make it clear that English is not my main language, so a few grammar mistakes are to be expected.**_

 ** _Also, maybe it's relevant to mention that as I write this fanfic I'm replaying this specific part of the game, so as to make it as much accurate to canon as possible. That includes the time which things happen, the dialogues between the characters, and even the layout of the floors. To that end, I even have the map of the academy open as I describe the places._**

 _ **Let me remind you that this is rated M for future heavy material, so if you're a kid... I know you probably won't give a damn and read it anyway. So fuck you, you little cunt.**_

 _ **Please don't forget to review and let me know what you think.**_

 _ **Update 12/10/2017 (non-retard units): Altered some facts to match them with the original story and fixed a few grammar mistakes. Also edited the author notes to include some relevant information about this story.**_

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 **Prologue**

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Quiet footsteps echoed through the empty halls of Kibougamine Academy's Second floor. Other than that, the only sounds that could be heard were from the security cameras, moving slightly every now and then to follow whoever came into their field of view, and the young man was no exception. At that point, he couldn't care less about the cameras, although at first they deeply annoyed him. Not that they ceased to be a hindrance, but he figured it was pointless to waste time and energy thinking about it. That's why he maintained his fast pace, not spending his precious time to grace them with his attention.

Despite the silence and the emptiness of the corridors, the man was on high alert, not allowing himself to drop his guard even for a second for as long as he remained in the cursed facility. After all, his life was at stake, and at any time his self-proclaimed "friends" could have a change of heart and decide to end his life to preserve theirs.

And that was something he wouldn't allow.

Having no ways to track the passage of time, the man couldn't say precisely for how long he had been trapped in the school. There were clocks all over the place, but no calendars or anything of the sort. If he had to estimate though, he had been there for no more than two weeks, with, unfortunately, no end in sight. Unless, of course, he played by the game's rules and murdered someone.

But he wasn't ready, at least not yet. Don't misunderstand: his problem didn't lie with the act of taking someone's life. He couldn't care less about any of the people around him, and several times contemplated which of them to kill and how to execute the feat. the problem was getting away with it. After several class trials, it had become exceedingly clear to him that while a few were as boring as stale white bread, he was dealing with capable, intelligent people, who could really pose a threat to him. Of course, they were nowhere as intelligent as him, but they weren't any less dangerous. As the game progressed, and the chaff was separated from the wheat, he could no longer ignore the fact that the very handful of people who could truly get in his way were the opponents he'd have to face soon.

 _"Natural selection at it's finest."_ He thought, smirking to himself as he pictured the remaining fools who were likely to be the next victims. Maintaining his pace, he eventually reached a new set of stairs and made his way up, still deep in thought.

 _"Still, I can't let my guard down. Kirigiri, for instance, seems to have a natural talent in solving mysteries, and the way she never seems to falter at the sight of a corpse... It's not something I can ignore. There's something behind it, and it's definitely not good."_

He eventually reached the higher floor and walked in a slightly slower pace.

 _"To think she'd dare lecture me... So what if I don't take human emotions in consideration? Why should I concern myself with the feelings of someone I don't care about? Someone who could at any moment try to kill me? Pathetic. I'd better stop thinking about something so absurd. After all... emotions are nothing but a setback."_

Focusing all his attention on his surroundings, he didn't resume his regular pace until he was certain that there was no danger. As he moved through the corridors, he tried to stay exactly in the middle of the path. That way, should a door suddenly open, he'd have enough time to react. He was also careful enough to carefully analyze all said doors before approaching them. Sometimes he questioned himself if perhaps he was being too paranoid, but he dismissed the thought. His life was at stake, and he had no intention of losing it.

Recently, a certain stinky bookworm, who also turned out to be a dangerous serial killer, started to follow him around, calling him her 'white knight' or some other nonsense. Her regular personality, despite reaching whole new levels of obnoxious and creepy, thanks to the constant stalking and random sexual interpretations to nearly everything he said, wasn't really a threat to him. After all, he was fully aware she was infatuated with him, and he used, and planned to keep using that to his convenience. Every now and then, he'd ask for a favor and she'd immediately comply, which was how he managed to drive her away from him not too long ago, giving him the peace and quiet he needed to walk around.

He frowned. _"She, on the other hand..."_

While Fukawa herself wasn't a threat, there was still her second personality, whose hobby was none other than slaughtering people for nothing but fun and a twisted sexual desire. Known as Genocider Shou, this psychopath was unpredictable, and that frustrated him to no end, as he had no idea what to expect from her. While she seemed to share her infatuation for him, just like her other anti-social personality, he couldn't ignore the fact that her Modus Operandi was to target males she considered attractive and slash them with scissors. That, along with the fact he fitted that profile, made him self conscious about having her around.

Also, not too long ago, Monokuma announced that he had a mole, giving him information about the participants in secret. It turns out that it was Sakura Oogami, the Super Duper High School Fighter. Naturally, not trusting her to begin with, it didn't trouble him in the slightest to keep his distance from her. She had the nerve to send him a letter, claiming that she just wanted to talk, but he wouldn't endanger himself to see if it was true. He knew she wasn't the smartest, but he couldn't fool himself by even THINKING that he had any chance against her in a physical confrontation. That made her yet another danger to him.

 _"That giant mass of muscles can't even hope to outsmart me, but the moment she gets within an arm reach from me, I'm dead. And someone like her... They wouldn't even be able to properly think of a way to make her murder impossible to solve. Same goes for Asahina and Hagakure... Although in their cases they present no threat at all. But that doesn't mean I'll get careless and give them the opportunity to do so."_ He set his gaze on the next set of stairs, which was recently unlocked with the execution of Celes, and made his way to it.

In a way, he was glad the gambler had died, as she proved without batting an eye that she was extremely cunning and intelligent. She lied and manipulated each and every single one of them - he included - several times, to the point that no one would even suspect that, had she not confessed moments prior to her death. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized he had to accept that danger was all around him, in many forms. That's why he needed to leave that place SOON.

But, despite all that, the one he considered his greatest threat was the one he initially thought to be the most worthless piece of trash of them all.

 _"Naegi..."_ He thought as he went up the stairs to his destination: the fourth floor. _"To think someone who seemingly had no talent, no intellect, no skills even worth mentioning could surpass all my expectations. He proved, more than once, that he somehow has a lot of potential, despite being nothing but lowly scum. As much as it pains me to admit this, I need to look out for him."_ He took a deep breath before sealing the thoughts with one phrase:

"No matter who I face, I will emerge victorious from this. Or my name isn't Byakuya Togami."

Finally, he reached the higher floor and tried not to think on any of the mutts. Right now, he had a reason to be all the way up there, and that included getting the hell out of there. He needed to investigate more, find his way out without having to kill. There had to be a way, and since he had nothing better to do at the moment, he decided to invest his time on it. The more he knew, the better.

Glancing at one of the clocks, he realized it was already past noon. Time was passing by quickly. He steadied his pace as he once again ventured through the area. He wasn't sure what to look for, but he had a feeling he'd find something useful today. A few days ago, with Celes's death and Monokuma's announcement that Sakura was it's mole, he spent the last day looking around the new floor, trying to stay away from everyone as most as possible.

Taking a moment to check the map on his ElectroID, he remembered that a few rooms were locked the day before. Perhaps he should give them a look, analyze their locks and search for a key somewhere. Looking around was definitely better than sitting in his room doing nothing. He felt no need to look into the bathrooms so he passed through them.

Now he had two options: Turn left and head for the music room or head right for the data processing room, which was previously locked. He decided to try the latter, not really expectant that it would work. There wasn't much to the music room anyway, as far as he could remember. It was basically a gigantic theatre with several seats, and a pretty expensive piano in the middle of the stage. He remembered his frustration when he first investigated the floor, since the room pretty much had nothing at all that interested him, or presented any usefulness in their escape. The last thing they'd do would be forming a band, so he decided not to waste his time on that room. The other ones had better chances of having something useful.

He approached the data processing room and tried to open the door.

"Locked."

Sighing, he walked past the data processing room. He walked through the corridors, noticing and admitting the school was pretty well-built and decorated. They were also pretty well illuminated, as it had multiple lamps everywhere. After some time, Classrooms 4-A and 4-B were right next to him. Those were rooms he didn't really take his time to look closely, as they were pretty much like the other classrooms: Dull, boring, and with some pathetic, nonsensical drawings and random words written on the board. But it was worth a shot.

He entered classroom 4-A and it was exactly as he expected it to be. Literally nothing out of the ordinary, other than a drawing of Monokuma and some kid. The classroom was organized yet dusty, indicating it hadn't been used in a while. The windows had iron plates like every other room in the building, preventing even light from leaving or entering. Next to the blackboard was something like a noticeboard, but everything in there was irrelevant.

As he expected, a waste of time.

He stood in front of classroom 4-B and wondered if he should even bother. He then reminded himself that the whole point of being there so early was to investigate, so he fought the annoyance and entered it. Nothing much was different than the previous rooms other than the different colored tiles and the stupid message in the blackboard, which, unsurprisingly, accompanied yet another drawing of Monokuma. He wondered who'd waste their lifes drawing something like that, but decided not to waste the energy of his braincells in something so futile.

Leaving the classroom, which proved to be yet another annoyance, he kept going forward, eventually reaching the chemistry lab. He'd enter it but decided not to. He was absolutely certain there was nothing there, as he made sure to investigate it throughly. Upon hearing the room had all sorts of poison, he felt compelled to find out what he had on his disposal. No one could know when the need to use one of those would emerge.

Turning back from the chem lab, he turned left and then stood in front of the staff room. After a moment, he entered, once again being greeted by countless vases with bright orange flowers on top of each desk, each of them sending a pleasant aroma. He wondered who took care of them and how were these flowers maintained so well. He also wondered why, since the flowers apparently had no usefulness. They had no poisonous particles that could be used in a murder, nor were edible, nor were going to be used on a sophisticated tea, medicine or perfume. Other than these questions, Togami didn't really have any interest in the flowers or in anything else in the room. Sighing at how he'd just wasted his time, he stomped out of the room, ready to head back the dorms and have something to eat.

But he stopped on his tracks as soon as he glanced right. There, at the end of the corridor, was the Headmaster's office.

That was another room that was locked yesterday, but something seemed off about it. Something was compelling him to go there. So he did. Slowly, he approached the door, staring intently at it, and the closer he got to it, the further he realized he was right: Something was wrong. Monokuma had been very clear with the last rule, but there was no way to deny that the lock was broken. Since it was unlikely Monokuma would break it himself... _"Someone broke the rules... Interesting."_

He stood by the broken door, wondering if it was a good idea to enter it. After the death of Enoshima Junko, Togami forced himself to play by the rules, as humilliating and frustrating that was. So, if he were to suddenly be blamed by the destruction of that lock, something bad could end up happening to him, and he sure didn't want to die a pitiful death. But then again... as soon as Monokuma noticed the broken door, he'd have it fixed. It was a one-time opportunity. Taking a deep breath, Togami entered the room quickly, suddenly feeling the urge to leave it as fast as possible.

 _"Hah... I'm feeling pressured? Ridiculous."_

Disappointed with himself, he quickly analyzed the room, in search of whatever he was looking for. Something, anything at all that would grab his attention, but there was nothing. It seemed like a plain room for a headmaster. The table, bookshelfs, and the numerous files on top of the table were full of dust, a hint that it hadn't been used in a while. But then again, if there wasn't anything important there, it wouldn't have been locked in the first place. It didn't seem like whoever broke the door actually entered it at all. Togami was confused but wouldn't complain.

Time was passing and he was just standing by the door, looking around like an idiot. He had to do something, and fast. He couldn't afford to be caught by Monokuma. He glanced at the security camera slightly above him. Suddenly acting without thinking twice, he ripped a small flag with the symbol of Japan, which was being used as decoration, and placed it on top of the camera, blocking it's view. It wasn't wise, and definitely wasn't something he would do, but the sudden rush of adrenaline, the prospect of his life being over in seconds just for BEING in that room somehow... it gave him...

A taste of despair.

He had to get out soon, but he didn't want to leave with empty hands. He was already risking his safety looking for nothing in particular, so he wanted to at least find something useful from that. He quickly moved and started opening the drawers, frantically looking for anything that stuck him as odd or important. He wanted to look into the files in front of him, but had no time for that. And there was no way Monokuma wouldn't notice him walking around carrying such bulky files. He closed the drawers, not finding anything worth of his time.

"Damn it!" He slammed his hand into the table, inadvertedly causing an unstable pile of documents to crumble and collapse. "...You've got to be kidding me."

He crouched and started sorting up the documents. He had to leave. RIGHT NOW. Monokuma probably couldn't see him from the camera, but there was no way they weren't equipped with some kind of microphone, as in numerous occasions Monokuma showed up in the middle of their conversations. The loud noise was likely to bring it's attention.

As he picked a blue file case from the ground, something fell from it directly on his lap.

 _"...A key?"_ It had a peculiar design, being particularly long and with a weird format. It didn't seem like it could open any door, but it was rather stange the way it was hidden. It also had a Monokuma design on it, which made it even more suspicious. It definitely had something to it. Not sure if he should be satisfied with what he found, he reorganized the documents and left the room in a hurry, leaving no trace behind that it was him in there. Letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding, he slowly made his way back to the stairs.

 _"Finally... a lead. I have the feeling this will be useful soon."_ Togami thought as he decided to head to his room and rest. He had been walking aimlessly for quite some time now.

On his way back, he came across the data processing room again and slowly reduced his pace until he eventually stopped next to it, deep in thought. His hand, still inside his pocket, gently touched the key inside, reminding him that now he had something that could possibly be useful on his hands. He stared at the door, most specifically at it's lock, all the while studying the key's format with his hand. _"If I'm not mistaken... This key..."_

His intuition was yelling at him. It was the only locked room in the floor, now that the headmaster's office was 'open'. It had to be it...

Cautiously, he removed the key from his pocket and brought it exactly into the keyhole. It fit. Now, as for unlocking the door... To his surprise and amazement, it did. He knew the key would be useful at some point, but didn't expect it to happen so soon. Taking a deep breath, he rested his back on the wall and carefully opened the door, looking inside as much as his vision allowed him to. When he heard no reaction from inside, he slowly moved to get a better vision... then rushed inside quietly, not making a sound. The sight before him took him by surprise.

Closing the door, he watched the several screens in front of him. Each of them showed a different place, places he was rather used to seeing by now. He recognized one as the cafeteria, another as the library, and so on. He then realized that he was in the control room. It was from that room that the puppetmaster was monitoring all of their movements.

"But... Where is he?" He thought out loud, still looking at the screens. Every single camera in the facility had their images displayed there, including the rooms he just were. He noticed one of the screens displayed nothing but plain white. That must be the one covered. There were no rules to covering them, but maybe he shoudl've removed it. Well, too late now. His eyes stopped scanning the screens once he spotted Naegi in one of them, leaving what seemed to be his room. Kirigiri was standing by his door, and they exchanged some words. Something seemed to have caught their attention. Togami couldn't really make what they were saying, and didn't really care. They were probably heading for the cafeteria, as they usually did.

As he was growing tired of looking at screens, one caught his attention in particular, as it wasn't part of the control panel and was noticiably bigger. It was an actual TV. Not like the ones where Monokuma delivered his messages. It was a plain, regular TV.

 _"I wonder if it works? It probably does... What use would the puppetmaster have for it if it didn't? He's probably using it to monitor what's happening in the outside world. Most likely our disappearence has been displayed in numerous sources of media, and the authorities were involved. Maybe I should see for myself."_

Before he could turn the TV on, a sudden noise caught his attention and made him turn around quickly.

A door which Togami initially thought to be just a regular giant picture of Monokuma, like the several ones that were around the academy, suddenly opened. Surprised, the young man reacted immediately, preparing himself to use all his knowledge in martial arts to deliver a single, precise blow directly into a pressure point of whoever left through it, knocking the person out without unnecessary struggle. In silence, he waited for whoever was inside to come out, fist clenched save for the fingers he'd use to execute the blow.

But never in his wildest dream he would've expected what came out from that door.

It was a woman. she had a tall, hourglass figure. Light blue eyes, and long, thick, strawberry blonde hair tied in two pigtails. She wore a pair of hairclips seemingly patterned after Monokuma in each pigtail. The right clip was completely white with dot eyes and a neutral expression, while the left was black with a white muzzle, jagged red eyes, and a wicked smile. Her outfit included a black cardigan over a white dress shirt, with both left open to the third button, exposing the top of her black-and-red bra. A long tie loosely dangled around her neck, which was white with a pattern of stylized black bear heads. Finally, she was wearing a red miniskirt and mid-sized black boots with platform heels and red laces.

She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Togami, who was frozen in place, trying to process what he was seeing. And she did the same, as the sudden sight of the man apparently made her brain reboot. They stood there, maintaining eye contact for what seemed like an eternity, both not even attempting to hide how surprised they were.

Togami was speechless. He could've expected a clone of himself to show up wearing speedos and he wouldn't be as surprised as he was. There was no doubt he had seen that person before, and the mere sight of her standing right before him brought him so many questions he couldn't even bring himself to think about answers. For the first time in years, Byakuya Togami was at a loss of words, and the result was none other than the loss of his ever-so present composure. Anyone who knew him would be in shock, and the woman was no exception.

"Y-...!"

He tried, but his brain couldn't process his question. That was enough, however, for the woman to snap out of her trance. Her expression suddenly morphed into a frown and, in a swift movement, turned around and hurried back into the room. Now it was Togami's turn to break out of the spell, immediately responding to her movement by rushing after her. But it was too late.

By the time he reached the door, it had been closed, and given the rush and strenght the woman put into doing so, attempting to hold the door or anything of the sort could've ended up wounding him. Before he could even touch the doorknob, he heard the undistinguished noise of a lock being activated. Not willing to accept his loss, he tried to open the door either way, but to no avail. His brain fully processing what had just taken place, he furiously knocked the door.

"Hey! Get out of there, now!" He said, knocking the door with considerable force, while his other hand still twisted the doorknob madly. A sudden noise behind him made him turn around, fully alert. It turned out to be none other than Monokuma.

The robotic stuffed bear seemed furious. "Ahem! What's the meaning of this, Togami-kun?! You bad boy! Bad bad bad baaaaaad!" It ranted, further annoying the already stressed man. Clenching his fists, he approached the bear. He needed answers.

"I'm the one who should be asking that. **Who** was that?!"

The bear was suddenly acting all carefree "Upupupu... where are you manners, Togami-kun? You barge in my room uninvited, acting all angry... It makes me so sad..." Now it seemed hearthbroken. Togami could feel his face getting red with anger. He closed his eyes and breathed.

 _"Pull yourself together. This is exacly what it wants, for me to lose control. Stay calm and focus."_ He told himself, finally facing the bear again. This time, he seemed much calmer and composed, with a serious expression in his face.

"You mind explaining to me what I just saw?" He said, his calm attitude taking the bear by surprise. "I'm sure there must be a good explanation as to why a certain someone is here... when she shouldn't be."

The bear's red eye glowed, in what appeared to be anger. "Now now now! You took the words right out of my mouth!" It puffed in anger, while the man remained calm. The tables were turned. "I'm pretty sure a **certain someone** shouldn't have access to this room! Nonetheless trying to bring down my door... You're mean, Togami-kun."

"Cut the crap." He said, his voice fierce and strong. The change in the bear's posture hinted that he'd start acting seriously. "Had you been looking carefully at those screens, you'd see that I broke no rules to get here. While it's truth I had no access here until recently, the fact is: **I'm here because you were careless.** " He stated proudly. The bear remained in silence, in what the man considered to be him accepting the truth. Motivated, and getting the feeling he was getting somewhere, he pressed forward.

"Because of that, I ended up learning something interesting... Something you clearly had no intention of letting us know."

"..."

"I know your identity. I know who's the mastermind behind all this." He pointed a finger at the bear. "Now tell me, how can you be alive... Enoshima Junko?"

"...upu..."

"Hm?"

"...upupupu..."

The bear covered it's face with it's little paws, and apparently started shaking. Togami said nothing as he watched, waiting for what was about to come...

"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

It's laughter made Togami frown, his anger slowly making it's way out again, but he was determined to repress it. He couldn't help but be struck with mixed feelings at the sickening sound. What was it supposed to mean? Was he wrong somehow? Making a fool of himself? Did he fail to see things from another view? Despite his unshakable confidence, deep inside he was slowly allowing doubt to manifest.

"You're so naive, Togami-kun!" The bear laughed happily. "Naive naive naaaive! You have to be naivest of all the naive people from naive planet!" It then faced the young man with a neutral expression. "You think you solved all the mysteries, but there is soooooo much you don't know!"

Togami remained silent, but he was definitely starting to lose his calm.

"Are you 100% sure about what you're saying? Hmmm? Are you 10000% sure? Are you?" The bear chuckled. "You're not!"

The bear shook it's head. "It's written all over your face. You're confused, conflicted, and maybe even..." The red eye glowed again. "Feeling... **despair**."

Togami smirked. _"He's bluffing. He knows nothing about me. He can't read me, and the very reason he's insinuating he can is so that he can get a reaction out of me."_

"Sorry to disappoint you, but whatever questions I have are far from drowning me in your so loved 'despair'." He glared at the bear. "In fact, the very fact that I have new questions who need to be answered is irrefutable proof that I'm getting closer to the truth... To solving the mysteries from this place."

"Upupupu... once again, you speak without being 10000000% sure. Or even 1% sure." The bear pointed at him. "It's true you might've learned something ahead of time... but if you want a hint: you're still far from the whole truth. Farther than you can imagine!"

Togami's eyes widened slightly _"...He's bluffing... He has to be..."_

Suddenly, the bear seemed overly serious. "I've said enough. There are things that need to be done, so I'll have to deal with you later." He turned his back on Togami "You know the exit."

"Later?" He inquired, feeling insulted. "Preposterous. You think I'll allow you to delay this any further? Answer my questions already."

"As I said." The bear's tone seemed slightly more menacing. " **Later**. Unless you want to be punished for accessing an off-limits area?" The bear asked, it's voice still hinting towards danger. It was then that Togami noticed the cameras slowly moving toward him. Were they equipped with some king of weapon?! He glared at Monokuma, gritting his teeth.

"Upupupu... now, if you'd be so kind to leave." The usual tone returned to the bear's voice. Togami realized it would be pointless to insist, and even reckless. So without a word, he turned towards the door, approachin it with a rather fast pace, emanating the anger the had been repressing.

"By the way, Togami-kun." The bear's voice made him stop on his tracks and gaze at it with the corner of his eye. "Given that you could spoil our fun to the other students, I came up with another rule."

"Another rule...?!" Togami glared, already imagining what it could be about.

Monokuma playfully placed it's little paws in it's mouth as it giggled. "Upupupupu... You'll find out soon enough." And with that, it disappeared as it always did, leaving Togami alone in the room. The only sounds that could be heard came from the cameras still pointed right at him He decided to leave already. There were far too many things to think about - all of them clearly important - for him to risk his life staying there any further. In silence, he gritted his teeth and left the room.

Outside, he found out that the key was still there, which most likely meant that Monukuma wasn't aware it was in his possession. Carefully, and fast enough to be unnoticed by the cameras, he used one hand to close he door while the other moved for the key. In one swift movement using his middle and index fingers, he managed to slip the key inside his sleeve, and the movement was so natural that he doubted anyone would notice, even looking through a camera. Once the door was closed, Togami heard an indistinguishable noise. The door had been locked in seconds, most likely an automatic process.

He placed both hands inside his pockets, allowing the key to slip through his sleeve and fall right into it. He then casually walked towards the stairs, feeling satisfied with the results of his little adventure. He learned something important, something useful, and most of all... **interesting**. The situation was sure to become even more amusing to him. He'd enjoy figuring out all of the academy's secrets by himself, and he'd do it as nothing but a way to pass his time. Confident, and looking forward to the entertainment ahead of him, he made his way to his dorm.

Until...

 **Ding dong, ding dong!**

"A body has been discovered!"

Togami's eyes widened as he stopped on his tracks, facing one of the Tvs scattered through the hallways.

"After a certain amount of time, which you may use however you like, the class trial will begin!"

And with that, the halls were once again enveloped in a deafening silence. Togami stood by the stairs, accepting the reality presented to him.

 _"I see... Someone is dead..."_ He sighed. " _Seems like today will be a long day..."_

He said as he went down the stairs, looking for the others.

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 ** _To be continued..._**

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 _ **Chapter 2 will be released soon. Please, spare a moment to review and let me know what you think of it, so that I don't waste my time on a story no one might read. Thank you and have a nice day.**_

 _ **Update 17/10/2017 (non-retard units): Altered the story so that the key Byakuya finds isn't the small, blue one that Makoto finds next to Mukuro's body in the last chapters, but rather the master key Kyoko would end up finding. I believe it would make things more interesting.**_


	2. Chapter 2

**_DISCLAIMER:_** ** _I don't own Danganronpa. If I did, I wouldn't be writing fanfics like the lonely loser I am._**

 _ **A/N: Hello there. Thanks a lot for sticking with me in yet another chapter. I'm having a lot of fun writing this, and I hope the same applies to you while reading it. I'm also very thankful to everyone who reviewed and showed support for this.**_

 ** _There are a few things you should know before reading this chapter:_**

 ** _-If you play the game and read the fanfic at the same time, you'll notice that some dialogues are pretty much EXACTLY as in the game. The reason is just as I stated in the previous chapter's author notes: I want to make this story as close as possible from canon._**

 ** _-My idea with this chapter was to show the investigation of Sakura's death from Byakuya's perspective, along of course with a few events that are exclusive to my story..._**

 ** _-You'll notice that in the author notes, I'll always talk about the characters by using their first names, but in the story, I'll use mostly their last names. That's because the characters mostly use the others's last names to talk between themselves, so I'm sticking to their last names to avoid making it confusing._**

 ** _-I'll be answering the reviews I got in the author notes at the end of each chapter. Make sure to review often so I can express my gratitude or answer your questions._**

 ** _That's it, I guess. Enjoy!_**

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 **Chapter 1: The Murder**

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...

...

No matter how many times it happened, Naegi didn't think he'd ever get used to the sight of a dead body. Specially when said corpse belonged to one of his friends. He could do nothing but stare in silence, dealing with all the conflicting emotions inside him. For how long would they be forced to participate in this madness? How many more innocent, precious lives would have to end for whoever was responsible for this nightmare to be satisfied? It was sickening. The worst part was, he felt helpless at the fact he couldn't do anything about it. He was merely a pawn is someone's twisted game, unable to protect his own friends from killing each other, unable to find a way to escape. And that pained him to his very core.

 _"We were fifteen... We started as fifteen, and now we're down to six... Our friends are dying one after the other... and there's nothing we can do about it..."_

Before ending up in Kibougamine, he didn't have any friends- at least not anyone worth mentioning. Most of his friendships up until that point were from the kind of people that only spoke to him at school, that didn't really care about his life, that never invited him to hang out, and so on. They weren't bad people, but they weren't close enough to be considered 'friends'. Even Maizono, who he studied with in middle school, wasn't really his friend until the whole academy ordeal. As much as he hated to admit, the harsh rules from the sick game made people want to cooperate and help each other- at least most of them. Which was why he valued the friendships he made while trapped, and cared about them so much.

He watched as Kirigiri examined the lifeless body of Sakura Oogami, still struggling to accept her death. The white-haired girl, on the other hand, retained her emotionless expression, studying what used to be one of her friends with the calm and professionalism of a medical examiner. The way she managed to be so composed in situations like that really intrigued the boy, but he kept the amazement to himself. This wasn't the time to be impressed by anything: One of his friends was dead. And even worse: She was murdered by one of his... **her** , friends.

He wondered if Monokuma had anything to do with it, since Oogami had recently turned against him. Still, it didn't matter who the culprit was. The fact that she was dead wouldn't change, the same applied for all his other friends who had perished in this sick game. If anything, the only thing Naegi wished at that moment was that he and the remaining students were able to escape that place, and no more lives were lost. With that small gleam of hope, he stood still as time passed.

It didn't take long for Asahina to return, bringing along the remaining students with her.

"I brought... them..." She said with a trembling voice.

"Whoa! O-Ogre?!" Hagakure said, surprise written all over his face. Fukawa on the other hand, currently 'transformed' into her insane, murderous alter ego, was clearly amused.

"Well, lookie here... Big girl's gone bye-bye." She stated, a wicked, disconcerting smile on her face as she let her tongue out.

"I see... Oogami's been murdered..." Togami said, confirming his suspicions.

* * *

 ** _Minutes earlier..._**

 _The moment he stepped into the second floor he was greeted by the sight of Hagakure, Fukawa and Asahina. What brought his attention wasn't the fact that the unusual group was together AND was looking for him... but rather the deathly-pale expression on the swimmer's face. That look on Asahina's face gave Togami a pretty good idea on who might've died, which was pretty much confirmed by the swimmer's weak voice._

 _"She's dead... In the rec room... I..." And with that she started moving towards the room._

 _The other three exchanged confused glances before following her._

* * *

 _"It seems I was right."_ He thought, looking at the motionless body of the fighter. _"Yet, to think I passed by this room several times today, including just now, and failed to notice this... Maybe I should pay closer attention to my surroundings. Then again, I was too focused on more important things... Forget it. Now it seems like I'm making excuses for myself."_

His thoughts were interrupted by Kirigiri, who suddenly started speaking. "As I'm sure you heard, a Corpse Discovery Announcement was just made. You know what that means, don't you?

"That Sakura Oogami was murdered... by someone in this room..." Togami replied, his voice confident and devoid of any emotions. "Or am I misunderstanding?"

His words made Asahina flinch. "...N...No..." Her trembling voice barely audible. "...It wasn't... just anyone in this room..." She continued, her voice slowly getting stronger. "Sakura was killed... by... Hagakure, Togami or Fukawa - one of **you three**!" Her expression abruptly changed to one of anger.

"W-What?!" The accusation took Hagakure by surprise, his face turning blue. Togami on the other hand didn't seem very pleased either.

"You sound awfully certain **for not having done any investigation**." His voice filled with scorn, clear annoyance written all over his face. He was already pretty stressed over what happened in the last few minutes. The last thing he needed now was to have a brainless mermaid to accuse him of murder out of nothing but spite.

The way he saw it, the murder couldn't have happened at a worse time. Right when he had found a pretty good lead, right when he uncovered a mystery that had been plaguing them since their first day trapped in the academy, he now had to focus his attention on a meaningless murder. 'Anger' is the best word to describe what the scion was feeling, and the rants of a woman who disliked him from the beginning wasn't helping. It was like throwing gasoline on fire.

Asahina glared daggers at him "I don't need to... investigate anything... I just know..." She clenched her fists with such force that they trembled. "I mean, come on... you guys all acted like Sakura was the bad guy... so obviously one of you three killed her!"

"You already know who did it?"

Before anyone could reply to Asahina, a sudden unexpected voice caught their attention. They all turned to find a certain bear who, as usual, showed out of nowhere, much to everyone's annoyance. Togami stared intently at Monokuma as it spoke.

"Don't tell me... you're one of those earthlings who unleashes super detective powers when you're angry?!" Monokuma asked yet another ridiculous question.

Asahina directed her murderous glare to him. "What do **you** want?"

Monokuma casually chuckled. "Oh Asahina, you so silly. I'm here to make a special delivery: the next issue of Homicide Today..." And with that, it revealed copies of a black file everyone knew all too well. "...otherwise known as **the Monokuma File 4!** " It then shook it's head. "You ain't doing right by your bombtastic face by wearing that scowl, Asahina! Welp, gotta blast..."

"Just a second." Everyone turned their attention to Naegi, who spoke up all of a sudden. "There's something... I'd like to know..."

Monokuma stared curiously at the boy "Yes?"

"You didn't kill Oogami... did you?"

"Yes yes?" Monokuma feigned confusion.

"She said she intended to do battle with you- with the puppet master... Maybe you two got into another fight... and then you..."

"Killed her?" It asked, earning a reluctant nod from the luckster. The bear turned it's back on everyone. "Hmm, neither close nor cigar..." It then suddenly turned in a fit of laughter. "Nope, you're totally off-base! I'm sorry to say it, but Oogami died a pitiful death before even reaching the boss room!"

Everyone listened in silence, wondering what exactly he meant by those words. He continued, suddenly sighing in relief.

"Thankfully though, that means I got off easy! No need to accept her challenges anymore!" The bear then looked down, feeling downcast. " 'Cuz really, a monster like her ain't so easy to take down- even for **Monokuma the Great**... I was at a loss! Here she is breaking the rules by attacking me, and here I am unable to claim my restitution..."

Finally, it laughed once more. "So whoever you are, **Mr. or Mrs Villain** , you have my deepest gratitude!"

"G-Gratitude?!" Everyone looked at Asahina, whose voice just now was filled with such raw anger that took nearly everyone by surprise. Her expression didn't betray the emotions she just let out, as she stared furiously at Monokuma while fighting a few tears from falling.

"Ohoho! Rather than directing your anger at me, you should funnnel it into finding the culprit! After all, it's **you guys** ' lives on the line here. **Oh, and one last thing**."

Togami noticed a gleam of red light when the bear turned to face him.

"Speaking of your lives being on the line... I added **a new rule** to our little game. Make sure to check it out! Upupupupu!" And with that, Monokuma finally vanished, leaving the students alone to deal with the many, confusing feelings he planted in their minds.

Togami clenched his fist at the mention of the new rule, as he knew exactly what it was about without even checking it. Not that he intended to break the rule anyway, as he didn't feel like entrusting such important information in the hands of such mongrels. But still, it was bound to be an inconvenience, as all kinds of questions would emerge and he wouldn't be able to answer them.

 _"So that's it... That explains why he seemed so casual around the others, despite the fact I found out it's true identity. He knew all along that I wouldn't say anything about it to the others. He'll now force me to endure an array of pathetic questions that I won't be able to answer unless I have a death wish. That goddamn woman... She's toying with me..."_

He didn't even realize he was gritting his teeth until they started to hurt. He kept thinking about the outrageous actions of a certain woman in his head until Asahina spoke up and brought everyone back from their thoughts.

"What... the heck? You're... **grateful**?" She lost it. "You sicken me! **You monster!** " She yelled to the cameras.

"I can agree with him on one point: I'm glad it was Oogami. She **was** the puppetmaster's mole after all." Togami stated.

Naegi stared at him incredulously "H-How could you say that?!" He demanded, looking into the scion's eyes, searching for any hint of it being a joke, or maybe even a drop of regret on his harsh words.

He found nothing.

"Whoops... I don't have time to bicker with you peons. The game's already begun. If you need someone to hate, hate whoever killed her." He said, earning nothing but a silent, murderous glare from Asahina.

Feeling the atmosphere growing tense, Kirigiri stepped in before it got any worse.

"Our number one priority right now should be finding the culprit. If we don't, we'll all be executed... But first, we should look into the new rule that was added." Maintaining her usual unreadable expression, she pulled her own ElectroID and watched as the others nodded and did the same. After a few seconds fiddling with it, everyone's expression- save for Togami's, turned into one of confusion.

"Huh...?" Naegi let out, absentmindedly. The others's reactions weren't much different. Even Kirigiri seemed troubled by what she just read.

" 'You are strictly forbidden from revealing the puppetmaster's identity to the others, or making it obvious through clues' ...? Eh?" Hagakure read out loud, obviously confused as he started reading it again.

Asahina didn't know what to direct her anger at anymore "W-What is this supposed to mean anyway?!"

"...Given how weird both the rule itself and it's timing are, there's only one possiblity." Kirigiri said, staring at the ground in deep thought.

Naegi gulped. "You can't mean...?"

" **Someone** here must have found out the puppetmaster's identity... And now he's trying to protect himself."

"Eehhhhhh?! B-But who?!" Hagakure was beyond surprised now.

" **I did**."

All gazed moved towards Togami, whose attitude remained pretty much the same.

"You... What?" Naegi asked for confirmation, surprised at how cool and collected the scion looked despite finding out something so bombastic.

Genocider Jack let out a weird, perverted sound. Her blushing face and drooling made it even more awkward. "As expected of my white knight~!"

Hagakure's brain cells were fried. "Uhh... Dude, what...?"

Togami sighed. "I found out the puppetmaster's identity, hence the rule. That's all there is to it." He was clearly in no mood of explaining himself, and that only made others more confused.

"How?" Kirigiri inquired, the evident confusion in her face completely gone.

"Does it matter?" Togami adjusted his glasses. He knew this would happen and it sure was as annoying as he predicted. "Telling you how, when, where... It's all irrelevant. I'd rather waste my time investigating this murder than explaining pointless things to you." He then looked at each one right in the eyes. "You might've forgotten, but we could **lose our lives** if we don't solve this case."

Hagakure seemed troubled. "Dude... Y'know, can't you say like, anything at all? If it's about the crazy dude behind this, it's probably important..."

"I agree with him." Naegi stated. "Maybe if you tell us something, we could figure things out on our own... We all want to know what you found out, and how you did so."

"How many times do I have to explain this? **There's no time** to discuss that. Save whatever questions you have until the end of this trial, because the more you pester me about it, the less time we have to investigate. And not being able to solver this murder could mean our **death**. Have I made myself clear?"

Everyone was silent for a moment, each and every single one full of questions, but they conceded. They had a bigger problem at hand.

"...You're right." Kirigiri nodded. "We should focus on the murder right now. Knowing who is behind all this won't help us at the moment."

Togami sighed in relief. Seemed like he was able to avoid the subject for now.

"Since we're done, let's get to business. First, we'll decide who's responsible for watching over the crime scene."

"I'll... do it..."

Naegi looked at his friend, concerned. "Asahina?"

"I'll be fine... Let me handle it!" The sudden burst of anger directed at him took Naegi by surprise, so he took a step back. The swimmer noticed it and took a deep breath. Her voice getting slightly calmer. "Anyway... I want to be here, with Sakura..."

Togami nodded. "All right, then, Asahina, you're the first watchman. The second is..." His piercing glare moved towards a certain white-haired woman "...you, Kirigiri."

If she was surprised, she didn't show it, as usual. "Me?"

"You're always getting in my way. This time, you can be a good little girl and stand guard. That's an order."

Naegi was taken aback by Togami's words. "A-An order?!"

The luckster definitely didn't like the sound of it.

"...That's fine. I'll stay here." And he definitely wasn't expecting this response from the girl. But said nothing as Togami replied right away.

"Then it's settled. Let's get started..."

A sudden yell caught everyone's attention. "Wait!"

Everyone turned to face Asahina. "There's something... I have to say first..."

"And what might that be?" The scion asked, already expecting something stupid and being further annoyed by the random delays.

"Hagakure, Togami and Fukawa- the three of you are not allowed in this room..."

The three involved had mixed reactions, which went from confusion to anger.

"Huh?" The shaman was yet again taken by surprise. How he managed to always seems so astonished was a mystery.

The accusing tone in Asahina's voice was back. "You're the ones who killed Sakura! I can't let any of you get anywhere near her!"

Togami gritted his teeth and glared daggers at the swimmer. "Shut your mouth, insolent fool. My life is at risk- I have **a right** to investigate the scene."

"Say whatever you want... I'm not letting you murderers touch Sakura... Specially you, who is now friends with the puppetmaster...! I won't let you in, even if I have to drag you out myself!" Asahina remained impassive, her anger escalating to aggressiveness and lack of reason. Togami himself was close to losing his shit himself, but managed to stay calm.

"It seems we're at an impasse. Continuing this quarrel any longer is just a waste of time... So I'll make a concession. Never mind all three. Just let me investigate."

"Whaaaat?!" At this point Hagakure was like a broken disc.

"That's not a problem, is it? It's not like you'd be of any help, anyway." Togami was sweet as usual.

Genocider accepted it without batting an eye. "Cool with me! Investigation? Pah! Fabulously fantasizing about my White Knight is a **much** better use of my time!"

Togami ignored the statement and turned to the shaman. "You don't have any complaints either, do you, Hagakure?"

"W-Well, if you insist, I guess I got no chance... Either way, dude, it's not like I did anything..."

"Then it's decided."

Asahina wasn't happy. "Who gave you permission to decide anything?!"

The look on the scion's face made Kirigiri intervene, before things got out of control.

"Asahina, I understand how you're feeling right now, but you really need to accept Togami's proposal." She emphasized the 'really', both because she needed to let go of her anger and because the scion looked like he'd soon lunge at her.

"B-But..."

"We have to find the murderer... not only for our sakes... but for Oogami's sake as well..."

Asahina was silent. Her expression didn't betray the feelings of anger that she still felt, but she grew visibly calmer. She knew she was acting unreasonably, but what could she do? Her friend had just died. She was emotionally unstable, but managed to get a hold of herself, at least for the time being.

"Fine." Her tone was still angry, but less tense. "I'll let you investigate the room, Togami... But you **absolutely cannot** lay a finger on Sakura..."

The scion snorted. "And why would I? I'm not putting my hands on that filthy thing."

"Enough with the bickering, already." Whoa, now Kirigiri herself was starting to lose it? "We need to focus on investigating this murder now. This has been said before, but you would to well to keep in mind, everyone, that if we don't find the murderer... every last one of us... will be killed..."

She managed to defuse the situation as usual, since the room fell once again into an uncomfortable silence. Togami let out a 'hmph' before turning on his back and moving away from the others, thus starting his investigation. Hagakure and Fukawa left the room, and soon the room was once again a crime scene, not a family cases program.

Naegi and Kirigiri discussed something among themselves while Asahina stood by Sakura's body. She had a melancholic expression whenever Oogami came into her view, yet when he happened to lock eyes with her, she'd immediately show scorn enough to tear a hole through him. He couldn't care less, and the feeling was mutual. She was nothing but an annoyance that should learn her place. That said, he erased all thoughts of a certain inconvenience from his head and focused on the task at hand.

After studying the contents in his Monokuma File, The scion gave a general inspection of the entire room from the point he stood, looking for anything that caught his attention. Being close to the door, the first thing that did was some shards of broken glass in the floor, along with a plastic container written Prodolmen X. He knew the fighter had an obsession for protein, so the container was no surprise. He took note, however, that there was a label in it, written 'Chem Lab A'.

" _The glass comes from the door window which Naegi broke... So it's probably meaningless to investigate. However, the container comes from the only room from the fourth floor that I didn't visit today... Again, I was careless._ "

Looking from that spot, he was able to see a pool of red liquid by the magazine rack. The fact it was so far from her body made a bell ring in his mind. The file did say she vomited blood, but could that be it? In that case, there was a possibility the blow in her head wasn't the cause of her death... After all, had she lost that much blood from blunt trauma, she wouldn't be sitting in that chair. No one in that school would have the physical strength to lift her monstrous body.

" _Unless, of course, there is someone else involved... But that makes no sense. The fact that assisting in someone's murder has absolutely no benefits to the assistant has been discussed several times. Which means, only one perpetrator is involved... and he probably didn't do it by hitting her... Something tells me I'll have to pay the chem lab a little visit later."_

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt someone approach him. It turned out to be Naegi, with a nervous expression on his face. The boy wanted to say something, but the scion beat him to it. He was in no mood to talk.

"What do you want? Don't get in my way."

But the boy didn't leave. "Um... I've got a question for you, Togami..."

He sighed. "Make it fast."

"Is it true... that you recieved an invitation from Oogami to come to the rec room?"

The scion looked slightly surprised. He himself had even forgotten about it. "Ah... So you know about that..."

"Then it's true?"

"Yes, a note to that effect was left under my bedroom door... but who the hell would be stupid enough to just waltz on in and let that monster kill them?"

"You didn't go?"

"Of course not. I tore the note up and threw it away. I made no contact with Oogami whatsoever today."

Naegi nodded and remained silent. He seemed deep in thought, and while Togami was glad he shut up, his presence was still a hindrance.

"If you're done, then get out of my sight..."

"Y-Yeah... Thanks..." And with that, the luckster scurried away to the other side of the room. Letting out an annoyed 'hmph', the scion went back to his investigation.

 _"So, they found out about the letter, huh? It probably came from Asahina. I doubt they found out from the letter I recieved, as I mentioned before, it was torn up and thrown away. Not that it matters, anyway. They'll be wasting their times by suspecting me."_

He moved past the billiards table and approached the pool of blood he spotted before. It reeked of vomit, so he was probably right. That's what she vomited, and it definitely had something to do with her death. He wondered if the magazine rack had any relevance at all, since the pool was directly in front of it. It was then that he noticed one of the magazines was upside down, which really made it stand out from the others. Picking it up, the scion started passing the pages until something caught his attention. A message in blood.

 _"'Fukawa'...?"_ He thought. Was that some kind of dying message? It seemed terribly out of place. Who'd write a message with it's killer's name and hide it in the magazine rack like that? Either Oogami was incredibly stupid or... someone had something to do with it. Still, there was something odd about that message. While it would seem so at first glance, It didn't feel like it was related to the murder. Togami made a mental note of it and placed the magazine back where he found it. There was still more to look into.

He noticed more broken glass next to the body. As he approached it he could feel the penetrating glare of Asahina, but he paid it no mind. She was the least of his concerns at the moment. Kneeling down, he noticed there was the neck and the bottom of a bottle. He also noticed that they were red, and that there was a Monokuma figure holding a chess piece among the shards. Picking it up, he didn't need more than a glance at the nearby cabinet to figure out what they were about.

There were four red bottles lined up in the cabinet. Each of them had a Monokuma figure inside. Each figure was holding a chess piece. It was impossible for even someone with a two-digit IQ to not be able figure it out.

 _"These bottles... One of them is most likely what was used to strike her head, and these shards on the ground are what it used to be. The Monokuma figure I have in my hand is holding a chess piece- most specifically a knight. It's only logical one of the bottles in the cabinet was used on her... But given the clues I found, I'm inclined to think they're not the murder weapon..."_

He placed the piece back and got up. The part he dreaded the most had come, which was inspecting the body. He kept a certain distance from it to avoid an earful from Asahina, but he could still feel her glare. Naegi was close by, investigating it himself.

"Maybe... the blow to her head cause her to vomit blood?" The luckster thought out loud, earning a snort from the scion.

"Yeah, right..." He mocked. The boy hadn't noticed the scion was next to him, so he was startled.

"T-Togami..."

"I will say, though, you've taken notice of something absolutely fascinating. Not bad."

"Fascinating?" The boy looked confused.

"Do you not think so?"

"I wouldn't call it 'fascinating'..."

While Naegi's theory was off, there was no doubt he had noticed that the pool of vomited blood had something to do with her death. Once again the seemingly useless boy exceeded his expectations. He couldn't bring himself to let his guard down.

At some point while Togami was lost in thoughts, Naegi left to inspect some other part of the room, leaving Togami alone next to the body and Asahina a few steps away, still glaring. Being stared at so intently was starting to get on his nerves, so he turned his own glare at her.

"What the hell do you want? If you want to ask me out, do so already."

For a moment Asahina's eyes widened and her face grew noticiably red, before she burst out in another fit of anger. "W-What are you talking about?! I-I wouldn't do it even if you were the last man on earth!"

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever. You're starting to annoy me, so stop with this ridiculous glare. I'm not playing 'maintain-eye-contact challenge' with you."

Her glare only worsened. Great. "Not a chance... I said it before and I'll say it again... I won't let you touch Sakura... If you do, I swear I'll take you out of this room by force!"

"That's a weird way of asking me out."

"I-I said I'd never do it! S-Shut up already! You stupid jerk!" She blushed furiously.

Ignoring her rant and amusing himself on her overreaction, he reminded himself that he couldn't afford to waste any more of his time, so he stopped paying attention to the swimmer and looked at the body. There was blood coming from her mouth, most likely from the vomit, he could also see trails of blood which went from her head to her neck. Most likely, those were a result from the blow(s) she took with what Togami established to have been the red bottle with a Monokuma figure. The pieces were starting to come together.

 _"Hm... Nothing in her body suggests that my theory was wrong. While the wound in her head is pretty ugly, I still don't think that's what killed her. If I'm right, the answers lie in the chem lab. I think I've seen enough here, so I should head there now. On my way there, I should probably try to figure out how the killer sealed the room. That's the only thing I can't really figure out."_

Satisfied, Togami exited the room without a word, ignoring Asahina's glare. She was still blushing, but her glare could still tear a hole through him. He had the feeling she'd be an even bigger headache from now on.

Once again, Togami walked through the empty hallways, the sound of human life vanishing the further he got from the rec room. Soon, the sounds of his footsteps were the only thing that could be heard, and to him, that was the best time to think.

 _"Let's review it quickly: My theory is that, despite being struck on the head by one of the red bottles with Monokuma figures, Oogami's cause of death was something else. The empty plastic container of protein and the pool of blood highly suggest only one thing: She was poisoned. And a quick trip to the chem lab must give me evidence to sustain that theory."_

Satisfied, he went up the set of stairs. As he thought on how tedious and tiring the process was, he finally noticed how tired he actually was. It was no surprise, since he had been walking around the academy all day, and that included going up and down the stairs multiple times. He snarled as he thought he had four sets of stairs to go down afterwards, in order to reach his room. It was going to be a long day indeed.

 _"Still, I can't afford to waste my time thinking about such trivial things. Oogami's death aside, there's something else I should be thinking about... And that's my recent discovery."_

He reached the fourth floor and kept walking, his guard still up. Despite concentrating on his thoughts, he was also on high alert. While Asahina and Kirigiri were bound to stay in the rec room, the other three were still free to roam the academy, and as harmless most of them were, they were still a possible danger that he wouldn't dare ignore. He was smarter than that, specially when there was literally a serial killer in love with him, and that 'love' meant having to endure creepy sexual fantasies and 24/7 stalking.

 _"Doesn't look like they're anywhere nearby, and I don't really care. I should focus on the puppetmaster... on that woman. She did say a few things that are making me genuinely confused. If I recall correctly, she said 'I learned something ahead of time.' Does than mean she planned on revealing her identity soon? That this knowledge is useless and I'm wasting my time pondering about it?"_

He took a small glance at the data processing room as he passed by, but didn't slow down or stopped.

 _"No... That's not right. Most likely, she was just trying to confuse me. She wouldn't go as far as locking herself in that room for days and then coming up with that ridiculous rule if she planned to. She must've felt pressured when she found out I knew her secret. There's no other explanation, and if there is... I can't see it. Either way, it's not like I can do much, despite having that knowledge. I still need answers- and even more than before. Unless I get her to give them to me, I clueless as to where to look for them."_

He went straight ahead from the stairs, heading towards the end of the hallway. If he remembered correctly, once he reached the end, the staff room would be by his left, with the headmaster's office further ahead. By turning right, he'd reach classroom 4-B. But, if he turned left before reaching the classroom, he'd reach the chem lab, and right next to it the set of stairs that led to the fifth floor. They were probably still locked, so he didn't care about them.

Turns out he was right, as he stood in front of the chem lab without having to check his ElectroID for the map. Praising himself for his good photographic memory helped ease the uncertainty that lie within him. Dismissing the thoughts, he entered the lab and was greeted with something unexpected.

Everything was in the exact same place from when he last checked, with a few exceptions. One broken bottle of what seemed to be poison was lying on the ground. It's contents, which were in the form of yellow powder, were spilled on the ground in front of the chemical cabinets. Also, it seemed someone left a few footprints on top of the powder.

That's when he remembered... He **had** visited the chem lab **today**.

 _"That's right... I came here right after breakfast. I forgot about it because there was nothing interesting here, so I went to my room to shower and stayed there until my little investigation... But still, to forget such a crucial detail... Once again, I'm doing mistakes that I shouldn't be doing. Why is this happening?"_

Despite his inner conflict, he was certain of something: The room wasn't like that in the morning. It most likely got like this close to the time of murder. And at that time... He was walking around the floor... The exact same floor.

 _"Could it be... when I decided not to enter the room... the murderer was inside?! No... He could have been anywhere. I visited every single room but this one. We could've simply missed each other. But still, once again, I feel like I was careless and left out something important. I'd better stop pulling myself together, because for whatever reason I seem to be getting extremely incompetent. Must be a side effect of hanging around these people..."_

Sighing, Togami knelt down. As he suspected, the broken bottle on the ground was a bottle of poison. He knew it not because there was a skull and bones printed in the label, but rather because it said 'Chem Lab C-4'. If he remembered correctly, all the contents of the chemical cabinet labeled C were poison and other hazardous chemicals, of many different kinds. It was safe to assume, then, that someone was messing around the C cabinet and let the bottle fall by accident.

 _"As I thought. Someone came here looking for poison. It has to be Oogami's murderer. This further proves that my theory must be correct. 'Poison' is what killed Oogami... And if I'm not mistaken, the plastic container of protein I found at the murder scene also came from here. Then, it's possible she ingested the 'protein' unaware that it was poison, and that's what led to her death...! Hah... Finally, I'm back where I belong. This murder will be easy to solve."_

Getting up, he took a look at the footprints. There was definitely something weird about them. Just then, he heard the lab's door opening. He turned to see none other than Naegi, who seemed surprised to find the scion there.

"So... you had you sights set on this chemistry lab too, did you, Naegi? Just be sure not to get in my way."

"Y-Yeah... all right..."

"Don't you mean, 'Yes, sir'?"

Naegi said nothing as he awkwardly approached the scion. Togami could see the boy was curious about the spilled powder, as he studied it carefully with his eyes.

"For your information... I was looking around the first floor this morning, and the lab was **not** in this condition then."

Naegi nodded. "Which means, the powder was spilled..."

"Right around the time the crime ocurred, most likely." Togami finished, and Naegi nodded again. He was glad the boy was being able to keep up with him. If they were going to investigate the scene, he'd better be useful.

Togami noticed when the boy looked from the broken bottle to the C cabinet, but said nothing. He wanted to see if the boy had the necessary to figure it out on his own. He started studying the cabinets, seemingly deep in thought as he analyzed the cabinet A. Something seemed to have caught his interest. He had probably just figured out the protein found on the crime scene came from there, so he paid it no mind. Naegi's face, however, turned into one of confusion as he began studying the cabinet B. It was written all over his face that he didn't know what the chemicals were.

"They're called reagents... Compounds used to induce of check for chemical reaction in chemistry experiments. I'm surprised you can live with yourself being so ignorant."

Naegi sweatdropped. "Y-You don't think that's going a bit **too** far?"

"Are you telling me you think studying math or chemistry are of no use in the real world? The words of a failure. They suit you, Naegi."

The boy looked at Togami awkwardly, then turned his attention back to the cabinet. From his reaction, he most likely realized the cabinet wasn't relevant to the crime. Oogami didn't die in a chemical experiment, after all. Finally, his attention went from the middle cabinet to the last one. He visually flinched as he saw the arrays of poisonous chemicals organized in the cabinet. From his expression, he could see the boy was starting to understand what was going on.

While the boy focused on the cabinets, Togami decided to stop watching him and refocus on the footprints. Based on what they looked like, they were most likely done by sneakers. That's when a bell rang in the scion's head, as he looked from the footprints to Naegi's footwear.

 _"Sneakers, huh...?"_

He noticed the boy had started analyzing the footprints as well.

"I need a diagram to get a better idea of how the footprints are laid out with respect to the room itself" He announced.

Silence.

"Are you... telling me to map it out?"

Togami smirked "Now you're getting the hang of things." He then pulled a pen and a sheet of paper and handed them to the boy. "Well? Get to work."

"O-Okay..." The boy managed as he began his drawing. Togami made a mental note of how easy it was to push the boy to do things for him. He waited patiently for him to be finished. Eventually, he showed the scion the results of his slavery. "Umm... How does this look?"

"Not bad, from the likes of you..." He said as he examined both the drawing and the footprints, ignoring the boy's curious glance. "I see... Looking at it this way... It's clear that the person who left these footprints only had business in the left cabinet. Whoever it was knew exactly what they needed to do- they went straight to the cabinet and right back out."

The boy nodded and made acknowldging sound the whole time, seemingly being able to see what he meant. Just then, Togami turned his attention from the paper to Naegi himself.

"And the chances are, these footprints..." He pointed at the boy accusingly. "...belong to you, don't they, Naegi?"

The boy's eyes widened. "No, they don't!"

"Then give me your shoes and let me compare foot size."

Having no good reason to turn him down, the luckster started removing his sneakers and then handed them to the scion, who carefully placed them next to the footprints but didn't let them touch the powder, so as to not make another footprint. Both guys examined the results together.

"Interesting. It seems your feet are larger. Sadly, these footprints aren't yours..."

"Yeah, I'm **real** sad..." The boy's sarcasm brought a small smile to the scion's face, but it vanished as soon as it came.

"However, with footprints this clear, it should be no effort whatsoever to find out whose they are."

The boy nodded. They were clearly important, even a monkey could see that. Togami recognized the boy had good deducing skills, so he left out the part that the footprints belonged to someone wearing sneakers. He wanted Naegi to find that out by himself. He was in no way obligated to share what he found out with anyone anyway- othet than in the trial, of course.

"Hmm... Perhaps I should go back over what I've learned about the powder so far..." Naegi thought out loud. He kept talking to himself in whispers, paying the scion no mind. Togami heard him mulling over the yellow powder, then about the broken bottle. Nothing that he already didn't know.

Still, they made an interesting discovery. Whoever was responsible for the footprints- and he pretty much already knew who it was- had business exclusively in the cabinet A. That made the scion inspect the cabinet better, and there he found something interesting that slipped through his radar at first glance.

 _"What's this...? There's a bottle of poison in the cabinet A...?"_

Upon closer inspection, it was a bottle labeled 'Chem Lab C-9'. It was clearly out of place, and he wondered how he failed to notice it.

 _"I see... that must've been what caught Naegi's attention. That bottle clearly has something to do with the murder... And the footprints suggest that the killer left the poison here, probably by mistake. I wonder why they'd take the bottle from cabinet C then leave it at cabinet A... But, if the killer is who I think it is, then it's explainable, since said person is an idiot..."_

"You, at least, have a good set of eyes on you, Naegi. But a lead's true worth is in how you make use of it..."

The boy was taken by surprise at the sudden praise. "T-Thanks, I guess... Anyway, I think I'm going to check the rec room again... I'll see you later, Togami..."

Without waiting for a response, the boy left the room, leaving Togami alone once again. The scion watched the door close and sighed. He wanted to see if the boy would figure out the hint behind his words. He wanted to see if he would be able to deduce who killer was, like he did. But he'd have to wait for now.

 _"He's not my top concern after all."_

Dismissing his expectations from the boy, he turned his attention back to the out-of-place bottle. Intrigued, Togami took it in his hand and was surprised to see it was full.

 _"That makes no sense... If the killer left the bottle here after the murder, then it should be empty, or at least half full... Any quantity smaller than these probably wouldn't be lethal. This is a pretty weak poison after all... But where does that leave me? If the bottle is full, then... Could it be? If my theory is correct, Oogami drank the poison thinking it was protein... so maybe... the culprit changed the bottle's contents...?!"_

He brought his nose to the bottle, careful not to sniff it with enough force to bring the powder to his nostrils. If he were to die by something so stupid, he clearly didn't deserve his name. His eyes widened when he felt the smell inside the bottle. His expression turned into a smirk.

 _"I knew it... Protein, huh? Hah. Then I have it all figured out."_

"What a pathetic murder case. It couldn't be any easier..." He spoke to himself

"You already know who did it?"

The sudden voice brought Togami back from his thoughts. A voice he despised, and he didn't hide that feeling from his glare. He grunted at Monokuma, who appeared out of nowhere as usual.

That's right... He was so focused on the murder case he had already forgotten about his little discovery. And now, the very sight of Monokuma in front of him brought back the many questions he had on his mind. But speaking to the bear always annoyed the hell out of him, so even though the murder case was pretty much solved to him, he didn't feel like talking at the moment.

"What do you want?" His tone was cold and so was his eyes.

The bear looked downcast. "Ehhh... Is that how you greet a friend?"

"You're anything but my friend, and unless you have something useful to say, get lost. I don't feel like talking to you right now."

"That so? And here I thought you had all kinds of questions... Booooring."

Togami raised an eyebrown. "And do you intend to answer them? You **do** know what my questions are about."

"...Hmm... Maybe."

"What...?" The answer caught the scion off guard. He didn't expect anything other than a 'no'. "Are you saying you're going to tell me what I want to know?"

The bear shrugged. "As I said, maybe. Obviously I won't tell you every single thing... That would be reeeally boring! But I figured it would be interesting to give you a few hints and see if you can figure things out by yourself... I want to see if you'll drown in despair if you do... Upupupu..."

Togami 'tch'ed. Just as he thought, he was being toyed with. But he wouldn't let this bear play by his own rules.

"If what you're saying is true, then talk to me in person. I'm done talking through this bear." He demanded.

"A-Are you asking me on a d-date? I-It'll be my first time, you know...?! I don't even have anything to wear..." The bear seemed flustered. It's attitude was starting to get on the scion's nerves.

"Call it whatever you want. All I need is answers, and since you're offering to give them to me, then I'll accept. But do so while looking at me in the eyes. No more little games. I already know who you are, so if you're really willing to talk to me, then you've got nothing to lose."

The bear remained silent. It let out a 'I'm thinking' sound, but Togami was in no mood to wait.

"If you don't accept my terms, then get out of my way. I've got a murder to solve and you're wasting my time." He gritted his teeth. That is, until the bear's eye gleamed.

"...Alright, Togami-kun. I accept."

"...What?" Once again the scion was taken by surprise, his expression changing dramatically to corroborate with that.

"...You need to clean your ears, Togami-kun... I said accept your little request. If you come out alive from this trial, then I agree to meeting you in person. However, I have my own terms... Upupupu..." The bear explained, his tone having grown considerably more serious. "I'll choose the time and the location where we'll meet. I'll let you know them through a special little visit. Also, you're **forbidden** from telling any of the others about this, or about anything we talk about. What do you say? This deal is un-bear-lievably good if I might say!" He said, suddenly going back to his carefree personality.

Togami didn't think twice. "...Very well. If these are your demands, then I have no complaints."

"Upupupu... Good to hear!" The bear giggled in his usual way. For a moment Togami felt a hint of malice behind it. "Then, I'll see you real soon, Togami-kun... At the trial, that is! Bwahahaha!"

And with that, the bear vanished as soon as it appeared, leaving Togami alone in the lab once again. He stood there in silence, processing what just happened...

 _"...So I managed to get myself a little private talk with a certain someone... Hmhmhm... Very interesting. I'm looking forward to it... Enoshima Junko..."_

He left the room, satisfied both at what he found and at the fact he'd soon clear a few doubts. He wouldn't leave their little meeting without the answers he wanted... And he would make that very clear to his 'date'.

With that on his mind, he made his way to his room, allowing himself a well deserved rest before the class trial...

...

...

...

 _ **To be continued...**_

* * *

 _ **A/N: There you go. Yes, shitty title. A slight Asahina x Togami in this chapter... Wasn't really intended, but oh well. It turned out pretty funny. Please review and let me know your thoughts so far. Thank you!**_

 _ **Now, I'll be answering the kind reviews I got:**_

- ** _lolrus555_** ** _:_** Thanks a lot! I'm really glad you're enjoying it I was a bit skeptical about posting this story as it features an unusual pairing. And yeah, I can totally see what you mean. I still feel like killing myself whenever I remember my first contact with Danganronpa fanfics, which wasn't too long ago. I didn't really see any yaoi, as I usually try finding stories about my favorite characters as a set pairing, and that filters some of the gay. But seriously... I saw so many genderbender stories that made absolutely no sense that I cringe whenever I remember. There was one where both Naegi and Byakuya ahd their genders changed and still got together... Wtf?! Anyway, I hope you're enjoying it so far. Keep reading and let me know what you think!

- _ **Guests 1 and 2:**_ Glad it caught your interests :) Keep reading, it'll only get better from now on!

 _ **-1995hzq**_ : I wonder how it will turn out? ;) Thanks for reviewing, stick with me on the next chapters!


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** **I do not own Danganronpa. I honestly feel it's pointless to say this by this point, but there is always some lonely loser who gets offended if I don't.**

 **-Read or I'll fart on your face-**

 _ **A/N: Hey everyone. Here we are with yet another chapter. This is probably the longest one I've ever written, and it would've been even longer if I hadn't decided to split it. I wanted to have the trial for Sakura's death to be one chapter long, but it turned out way bigger than that, so I figured I'd finish it in another chapter or else it'd be too tiring to read it all at once.**_

 _ **Again, if you play the game and read this fanfic at the same time, you'll notice the dialogues are pretty much the same. I made use of it the best I could to make it as close to canon as possible. Of course, it's not just a blatant copy of the events of the game. I made sure to create special dialogues of my own, which are relevant to the story, and scatter them through the story to create and entire new scenario for you guys. I hope you enjoy it.**_

 _ **Please, don't forget to review if you're enjoying it. I know I always ask that, but the very reason I'm taking my time to upload this is to give you guys something to enjoy. So I'd appreciate knowing if my work is being well recieved.**_

 _ **On with it!**_

* * *

...

...

...

 **Diiiing Doooong... Diiiing Doooong...**

No more than a few minutes after he reached his room, he heard a certain bell he dreaded ring through the entire school, barely giving him enough time to rest or to let him sort out his thoughts from the long day of discoveries he had.

Soon after, all the TVs in the facility blared to life, including of course the one in the young man's room. He frowned in annoyance as he didn't even spare a glance at said tv, as he knew all too well what would come from the useless home appliance. It was used for literally three things only, and unlike an actual TV, providing them with numerous channels to watch wasn't one of them. It was used either to inform them of the time, to let them know a body was discovered, or to summon them to some location. This time wasn't any different, as he expected.

"... ...Whoopsies, I dozed off there! You guys' investigation was so dull, I couldn't even stay awake! Can I do this? Y'all ready? Y'all okay if I do this? A'ight kids, it's Class Trial time! Hurry your butts over to the usual place! The red door on the first floor of the school zone. Upupu, seeee you soooon!"

The young man watched the TV turn off in silence, appreciating the fact that the image of the accursed bear disappeared from sight along with it's annoying voice, at least for now.

Sighing, he got up from his bed. He had the feeliing that they were having less and less time to investigate with each trial, but he figured it would be pointless to think about it. Instead of leaving his room, the young man paid a quick visit to his shower room, where he proceeded to take off his glasses and throw some water on his face. He didn't do so to keep himself awake, but rather to help him focus. He was tired, but not to the point of wanting to sleep. Still, that didn't mean he'd let his tiredness influence his actions, or the facts that he needed to be certain of for the trial.

After studying his reflection for some time for no particular reason, he finally left his room and made his way to the school grounds. Despite being annoyed with the fact he'd have to deal with yet another class trial, he was in a rather good mood, thanks to a little discovery he made not too long ago. Just like when he found out the puppetmaster's identity, he found something he considered pretty interesting by accident, and since under normal circumstances he'd probably never find out what he did, that made the discovery even more satisfying.

* * *

It happened when he finally reached his room after a long day of exploring the academy. At that point, his tired body was screaming for him to settle down and relax for a while, but obviously he couldn't give himself the luxury of doing so. He knew the class trial would start soon, and before that he needed to get his facts straight. He thought of going to the library, but he figured there was no better place to think other than his room, as it kept unwanted people away from him. With that in mind, he endured yet another little trip from the fourth floor to the dorms.

That's when he absentmindedly unlocked his room's door and entered. Lost in his thoughts, he welcomed the familiar atmosphere of his little space and sat on his bed. Immediately his body yearned for more, but he refused to lay down as it would be impossible to get up afterwards. Feeling hot, he removed his black jacket and undid a few buttons of his white undershirt. He was sweating after moving around so much in his suit, so he figured he could at least have a change of clothes for the trial. Not that it would make much of a difference, since he pretty much only had similar suits in his wardrobe. Naturally, before removing his clothes, the first thing he did was empty his pockets.

That's when he noticed it.

 _"...Huh...? Why is my room's key in my pocket...? It should be in-"_

When he turned to face his door, he was pretty confused. But as soon as realization hit him, he knew at that moment that he had found out something important... And certainly very fascinating.

The key on his door... Was the key he found on the headmaster's office.

 _"...Interesting."_

He smirked.

* * *

He made his way through the hallways, his smirk from minutes ago back on his face as he remembered the reason.

 _"What happened there... It wasn't just a coincidence. Monokuma explicitly stated that t_ _he dorm rooms are extremely secure, with a lock which cannot be picked and sophisticated keys which are hard to replicate. Therefore it's impossible that this key in my pocket is a spare one, specially one for my room. That'd be too random."_

On his way to the red door, he saw Fukawa and Hagakure, so he slowed down. They didn't seen to be walking together, both unusually quiet even for their standards. He didn't want to be seen by the woman now, so he waited until they disappeared through the corridors before slowly resuming his pace.

 _"The key even opened the data processing's door. For it to open such distinct doors can only mean one thing: What I have in my possession is probably some kind of master key. With it, I can enter any room in this academy at will, and not even **her** can prevent me from doing so."_

Finally, he reached the red door. He wasn't surprised to find a few already inside, specially those he saw a while ago. Hagakure had a nervous look on his face, staring fixedly into the wall and tapping his foot, as if avoiding eye contact with everyone. Fukawa blushed furiously at the sight of Togami, fidgeting nervously with her hands and wearing a perverted smile. Togami was more annoyed than uncomfortable at this point. Since the girl stated her obvious attraction towards him, his life became a living hell.

"H-Helloooo..." Surprisingly, she attempted a normal greeting this time. Togami wasn't really in the mood for talking as usual, but figured he should reply. He was arrongant but at least he had some manners.

"Hm." That was his response. For Fukawa, that was more than what she could've expected.

"H-How did... T-Theeee investigation go...?" Her timid tone remained the same. That's when Togami noticed she wasn't in her Genocider persona anymore, unlike before. She kept fidgeting nervously with her fingers. Seriously, how could she stalk him with a straight face and have such a hard time talking normally to him? Then again, the woman wasn't exactly the best example of normalcy.

The scion crossed his arms and looked sideways. "Hmph. Not even worth mentioning. Probably the easiest case I've ever solved..."

Fukawa's face brightened up "As expected of my white knight~! ...W-Wait... Y-You figured... everythiiiing out?" Her expression dropped drastically to one of... concern? That, along with Hagakure throwing a nervous side glance from where he stood, then looking away once the scion noticed it, caught Togami's attention. They were definitely acting weird, even weirder than usual.

It was then that he actually stopped to think about Fukawa's question, even though he never replied back. Had he really found out everything? Now that he thought about it, there were a few factors he definitely overlooked. He hadn't actually tried to figure out how the room had been sealed. Or even, who actually hit Oogami's head with the bottles. Hell, he hadn't even given the supposed 'dying message' he found in the magazine rack any attention. The weird behaviour of the two idiots definitely raised a few flags on his head.

 _"...That's right... I thought the one responsible for everything was the one I suspect of having poisoned Oogami... But those two... They're definitely hiding something. Are they involved somehow...?"_

Eventually, Asahina showed up, which brought Togami back from his thoughts. Her glare didn't falter since he last saw her, and the raw display of anger made her feelings of distrust and accusation written all over her face. Fukawa retributed with a murderous glare of her own, acknowledging the animosity and reciprocrating with her own, while Hagakure grew noticiably more nervous, trying even harder to avoid eye contact. On further inspection, his face was deathly pale and he was sweating, but he, along with everyone else, were in complete silence.

Togami on the other hand remained impassive, ignoring the circus in front of him. New questions had emerged on his head at the worst possible time, as he had no ways of investigating anymore. Had he truly overlooked something, it would definitely come for him at the trial, and the thought made him angry at himself. He tried to think about the things he forgot about, but figured it would be pointless. He'd be tiring himself mentally for things he wouldn't even be able to confirm. He had no choice but to wait for the trial to see what would happen.

Not long after Asahina came Kirigiri, her face emotionless as always. She paid no one any mind and stood next to the elevator, apparently deep in thought. Togami watched her carefully, already expecting her to be a problem in the trial. He had to acknowledge the girl's talent and intuition, as she made interesting discoveries everyone overlooked in the past few trials. Definitely, she was someone to watch out for, and seeing her thinking made Togami wonder if she found out something she didn't.

As always, for some strange reason, Naegi was the last one to arrive, but before anyone could say anything, Monokuma made yet another random appearance.

"The Super Duper High School Fighter, lmao! A sealed room murder, lmao!" It said, earning a confused glare from nearly everyone.

"What are you doing?" Kirigiri asked, her tone implying slight annoyance despite her usual emotionlessness.

The bear chuckled. "I just realized how **awesome** acronyms are! Doesn't matter how depressing something is, throw an 'lmao' in there and suddenly it's bright and happy! For example: We found a decomposing body at our picnic, lmao!"

"That's just creepy, dude..." Hagakure commented.

"Then how about the other way around? Doesn't matter how happy something is, throw an 'FML' and suddenly it's dark and depressing! For example: I hope I can make a whole bunch of friends, FML!"

"You're right! That **is** sad, dude!" Hagakure commented yet again. At the very least, he didn't sound so nervous anymore.

"Please board the elevator at the back of the room, lmao! I'll go ahead and meet you there, FML!" And once again, Monokuma vanished and left the confused students behind.

"W-What was thaaaat... all about?" Fukawa wondered.

"Beats the hell outta me, dude..." Hagakure answered. The atmosphere had grown slightly less tense now.

That is, until Asahina butted in.

"Says the ones who 'beat the hell out of' Sakura... How can you be so happy-go-lucky... knowing you've **killed** another human being?"

Hagakure's nervous expression was back. "I-I'm not really... all that happy-go-lucky... And anywho, I didn't kill anyone either, dude!"

"I- I'm iiiinnocent... Don't you... call **me** a murderer!" Fukawa was still hostile towards the swimmer.

"Oh really?" Asahina replied, considering how ironic the bookworm's answer was.

"Either way, we'll know soon enough... There's no changing the fact that someone among us is the culprit." Togami said, having had enough of the bickering. His words were enough to bring back an uncomfortable silence.

"It's time to go... And put this case to rest..." With his own words at his back, Naegi took a step towards the elevator.

In silence, the others entered as well... and the door creaked shut. It started it's descent, letting out a low, mechanical grumble as it sank deeper and deeper into the earth. Not a single soul inside the moving machinery could help but notice how spacious the elevator kept getting with each trial. What started as fifteen was now down to six... And this trial could reduce that number even further.

Everyone was silent, deep in their own thoughts. Some griefed the loss of their fallen friends, some tried to hide their insecurities, some wished the whole incident would end soon with no more casualties. But only **one** had the Super Duper High School Fashionista in their mind. Only that person knew the mystery behind the puppetmaster's identity, and only that person had plans to eventually meet and get answers from said mastermind. The thought made the person somewhat anxious, but he wouldn't falter.

 _"Once this trial is done... It'll be just you and me, Enoshima Junko. Be prepared..."_

And then, as usual, with no sign or warning... the elevator came to a stop. The doors opened, and one by one, the students left, entering yet another courtroom where a certain someone was already waiting.

"Weeeell, it looks like we're down to six... So few! So lonely!" It said.

Totally out of his character, Naegi couldn't hide his anger. "What are you **talking** about?! It's all... It's all **your** fault!"

The bear just giggled in it's usual manner. "Is it gonna be even lonelier after this Class Trial... or is this going to be the end of the academic coliseum?" It's anticipation made everyone sick. "Well, let's get this party started! Go find the seat with your name on it!"

The students did as they were told, for the fourth time now.

And with that...

 **The court was now in session.**

...

...

...

"Let's start with a simple explanation! **You guys'** votes determine the trial's outcome. Finger the **true villain** , and only the villain gets punished. But make the **wrong accusation.**.. and everyone else gets punished, leaving your deciever to graduate, freeee and cleeeear!"

Everyone wondered why the bear would bother making the same explanation for the fourth time, but no one said a thing.

"Leeeet's see... Where should we begin?" It continued.

"We know... who the killer is already!" Asahina started the 'discussion'. There were mixed reactions among the involved, but Monokuma's was one of amusement.

"Whoa! Gettin' some major déja vu here!"

The swimmer continued. "Sakura was killed by... one of you three: Togami, Fukawa, or Hagakure! You all hated Sakura!"

Togami smirked. How predictable. "Hmph... You cretin..."

"I- I had nothing... to do with it..." Fukawa bit her finger.

"Y- Y- Y- Yeah dude! I- I- I wouldn't... K-Kill anyone, dude!" Hagakure was back to being a scaredy-cat.

"No excuses!" The swimmer seemed pretty confident of her statement. "One of you three... Killed Sakura!"

"And why do you think we did it?" Togami asked feeling disinterested. He knew the woman had nothing to support her claims and was accusing them out of spite.

"You had motives! You all hated Sakura!"

The scion rolled his eyes. "That's not even worth justifying with a rebuttal."

"Shut up! There's no doubt... it's because of one of you...! That Sakura's dead!"

" **Good riddance."**

Everyone's eyes went to Togami at the same time. Some seconds passed in silence as everyone processed the words that just left the scion's mouth.

Asahina was flabbergasted. "W-... What... did you say...?"

"I said good riddance to a worthless piece of junk." He stated, his words as cold as ice. No one could mutter a reply.

"What's wrong?" He adjusted his glasses. "Don't tell me you expected I'd feel any sympathy for the puppetmaster's lackey?"

Asahina's eyes teared up. "...H-How... can you say that?! You... **You monster! You're heartless!** " She yelled, not even realizing she was crying.

"Heartless?" He gritted his teeth. "Stop barking already. You claim you're mourning the death of someone who has betrayed everyone since the beginning? Someone who has been giving information and who knows what else to our **enemy**? Either you're hopelessly ignorant or a complete and utter moron."

"Togami...! You're crossing the line! Y-You can't possibly mean those things...!" Naegi stared incredulously at Togami.

The scion, however, maintained his condescending glare. "I mean it all. I couldn't care less."

" **Shut the hell up**! Sakura... She never betrayed us! She... She considered us all her friends! She said... She wanted to fix things! She just wanted... You to be friends with her! But you all **hated** her!" She wiped her tears.

"You seriously suspect us just 'cause of that?" Hagakure asked, despite being clear that in Togami's case it wasn't hatred. He literally felt nothing for someone he believed that betrayed him.

"You're inhuman... not a fiber of humanity in you!" Fukawa defended herself, earning Asahina's glare. Before things could get any worse, or keep straying further from the main topic, Naegi intervened, still refusing to believe someone could say such terrible things.

"The reason you suspect the three of them, Asahina, is because Oogami invited them to the rec room, right?"

She turned to the boy and nodded. "Exactly... Right before she was killed, too! There's no doubt about it! One of them is the murderer!" She faced the three people she was accusing. "Sakura invited you to meet with her. How is that NOT suspicious?! One of you three must be the culprit!"

Togami just crossed his arms and looked away, uninterested. "I admit I recieved her invitation... But I did not go."

" **Liar!** " Asahina yelled. "You... Just made pretty clear... How much you hate her! I know it must've been you!"

Togami sighed. "And here I was wondering how stupid a neanderthal like you could get. But I won't waste my time arguing with you. As I said, I did not go."

"M-Me neither... I didn't go..." Fukawa followed her 'white knight's' lead.

Hagakure followed both. "M-Me either... I didn't go see her, dude..."

Asahina gritted her teeth. "There's no way none of you went! Someone's lying!"

That's when Naegi remembered something.

"Hagakure, you dropped a small piece of paper while we were talking earlier, didn't you? With red polka dots on it..."

The shaman threw a surprised expression at the boy. "Wh- What is this all of a sudden, dude?!"

Asahina seemed surprised herself. "Red polka dots?" Her glare returned. "That's the same pattern as the wrapper on the candy I gave Sakura!"

"U-Umm... well... you see..."

"As soon as the storeroom opened, I took the entire box with that candy in it back to my room... There's no more candy like that left there!" Asahina gave Hagakure no room for answering.

"That raises the question: Where did you get that candy, Hagakure?" Naegi asked, not really wanting to doubt his friend...

"He could only have gotten it from Sakura!" Asahina accused, using Naegi's question to attack the troubled shaman.

"U-Uhhhh... W-Well, it's true that... Ogre gave it to me... But it happened a while ago! So that has nothing to do with this!"

"When... Did she give it to you?" The swimmer's expression was seriously scaring Hagakure... And Naegi, too.

"The last time you saw Oogami, Hagakure... was when we were in the infirmary with Asahina, wasn't it?"

Togami took a moment to think about Naegi's question. He wasn't sure from where, but he heard about that incident. Apparently, Fukawa- as Genocider Shou- and Asahina got into a fight, and the latter ended up hurt. She was taken to the infirmary by Naegi and Hagakure. There, Oogami showed up, angry at the fact that her 'friend' was hurt by a psychotic serial killer, and stormed out of the infirmary. That's all he knew about the incident, but seeing as how Fukawa was present at the trial, it was safe to assume Oogami didn't chop her head off.

Then again, he couldn't help but remember the supposed dying message he found. But he figured he should watch the unfolding scene before reaching any conclusions.

"S-Soooo... She gave it to me before then, dude..."

Naegi furrowed his brows. "Hagakure... What you're claiming doesn't make sense... Asahina didn't give Oogami any candy until **after they left the infirmary**. If the last time you came in contact with Oogami was in the infirmary, you **couldn't** have that wrapper!"

Hagakure wasn't expecting such a revelation. "Well lookit that! W-Well... um... uh..."

Silence.

Then, an explosion.

"Yeah, I saw 'er! Me and Ogre met in the rec room! You got a problem with that?!"

"Wh- What are **you** getting mad about?" That was definitely the first time Fukawa saw the shaman angry, so it was a natural question.

He went back to being nervous. "But that's **all** I did, dude! I didn't do anything to her! Please, believe me!"

"Th- That's not suspicious or anything..." Fukawa said. There was something behind her words that made Hagakure angry. Was it... Sarcasm?

His face got red with anger. " **You're** the suspicious one, dude!"

"Again, why are **you** getting mad?"

Togami watched silently the two idiots quarrel. Both were suspicious the way he saw it, and from the others's faces, they had the same feeling.

"My anger's justified, man! You're the culprit, 'Kawa! And I've got proof, too!"

His accusation made the bookword bit her finger again. "Whaaaat? Proof? What proof?"

" **Her shining message** , dude!" Everyone sweatdropped. He continued. "There was a bloody message left at the scene that said 'FUKAWA'." He then noticed the way everyone looked at him and corrected himself. "Right! A dying message, dude! That's what you called it when Mai did it!"

"Hey! I saw that too!" Asahina sounded surprised. At that point, it was weird to see her in anything but her glare.

"See?! Seeeee?! 'Kawa's the killer, dude!"

"Wh- Wh- What are you talking about?! I didn't... I didn't do it!"

The shaman's face got red with anger again. "You don't know when to give up, do ya?!"

"Slow down a bit, Hagakure..." Kirigiri spoke up for the first time since the trial's start. "Could you tell me **when** , exactly, you saw that dying message?"

"Huh?" He clearly didn't expect that question. "Uhhh... I'm pretty sure... It was when we found Ogre's body, dude..."

Kirigiri closed her eyes and nodded. "That would have to be it. After all, Asahina refused to let you investigate the crime scene... Which means that would have been your only chance to see the dying message."

Togami narrowed his eyes.

 _"Hold on... That doesn't make sense. If he didn't investigate, he couldn't have found the magazine... After all..."_

"When you found the magazine, Kirigiri, it was on the magazine rack, wasn't it?" Naegi asked, oblivious to the look the scion gave him.

"Yes, it was. I took the magazine from the rack and found the dying message inside. **After we began our investigation** , that is."

Togami glared in silence at the two. As expected... They couldn't be underestimated. Both had noticed the inconsistencies in the shaman's testimony... But then again, he was surprised that the others couldn't. It wasn't really that hard to figure out.

"Which means your testimony doesn't add up, Hagakure." Naegi said, hoping to be wrong on what crossed his head, concerning the shaman...

"D-Doesn't add up? Where'd you learn math, dude?! Everything adds up just fine! I saw the dying message... When we found Ogre's body, dude!"

Kirigiri shook her head. "I found the dying message during my investigation... I took the magazine from inside the rack... and I saw the dying message inside it."

Hagakure gritted his teeth. "What're you tryin' to say? I don't see anything wrong!"

But Togami knew he was lying. And so did Naegi

"When we found Oogami's body, the magazine was **inside the rack**. Kirigiri didn't take it out of the rack until after we begun investigating. Therefore, you couldn't have seen the dying message, Hagakure, because **you weren't in the room**!"

Togami kept observing in silence.

 _"Hm... That explains why he was acting so strangely. It's clear... That he is the one who wrote that message. What an idiot..."_

Hagakure's anger dissipated, and his face was now filled with... despair...?

"Bwaaaah!" He yelled, exasperated.

Naegi sighed. "Hagakure, tell us the truth... When did you see that dying message?"

"H-Hold on... Don't change the subject! **When** I saw it... isn't the issue! What matters is that Ogre's flying sausage says 'Kawa is the culprit, dude! No bout adout it!"

Asahina sweatdropped, pretty much like everyone else. "Th- There's so much with that... I don't even know where to start!"

Fukawa glared at him. "That's... what he's going for!"

Kirigiri brought her hand to her chin, implying that she was thinking. "First of all... was that 'dying message' actually even **written** by Oogami?"

"Say what?" Hagakure was taken by surprise again... "O-Of course she wrote it, dude... There's no question... Ogre wrote it, dude... Ogre 100%, absolutely, undoubtedly wrote it! I said it, so it had to be true, dude!"

Togami watched as Naegi tried to present the evidence that the shaman was lying, but the latter refused to let his speak, blurting out stupidities and, ironically, even demanding proof. But at that point, it was clear to everyone that Hagakure had some kind of involvement in the incident. Togami hadn't even considered it, taking into account that said shaman was a complete moron, if not retarded. Once again, he let something pass unnoticed by him... But not to Naegi...

"There's no chance Oogami wrote that 'dying message'. It appears to have been written with someone's finger... But both of her hands were perfectly clean. Not even a drop of blood on her fingers!" At some point Naegi managed to make his point to the shaman, who seemed genuinely surprised.

"Reaaaallyyyyyyy?" His face got blue.

"Then, who **did** write that 'dying message?" Asahina eyed him with suspicion.

Kirigiri spoke up. "Perhaps... Hagakure planted it there... It would explain how he knew about it."

"Nnn...nnnnn...nnnnnngh!" After finally realizing there was nothing he could say, Hagakure sighed. "Yes... That's correct..."

Asahina's eyes widened. "Whoa- He admitted it!"

"I thought that might have been the case..." Kirigiri confirmed her suspicions.

"But... Why would you plant fake evidence?" Naegi asked him.

"W-Well... You see..." His voice was weak... until it suddenly became a desperate yell. " 'Cause I killed Ogre!"

Everyone's eyes widened.

"Will you hear me out? Will you listen to my final words?" He sighed, not waiting for anyone to say anything. "Like it said in Ogre's note, I went to the rec room just before lunch..."

Finally, Togami spoke up. "You just went like it was no big deal? You're an imbecile..." It was beyond his understanding how someone could reach such levels of autism.

Hagakure decided to ignore the comment- mostly because it hurt.

"So, I showed up, dude, and... She told me to sit down, so I did, dude... But she said nothing, so I got nervous... Then she said she was sorry for making me wait, and that she was expecting others... I said it was ok... then she offered me the candy, dude..."

He paused, having a hard time talking about it. After all, in his head, he had murdered someone.

"After that, Ogre didn't say anything else, and the silence started wearing on me, dude... But then, outta nowhere, Ogre started whisperin' to herself... Somethin' like, 'This is the end... Today... It ends... Today, I'll put an end to everything'... When I heard that, it hit me! Ogre was planning to kill me! She was gonna kill me and get outta this place! I... I flipped, and then... and then... I saw an opening, so I grabbed one of the Monokuma Bottles on the cabinet and clocked her with it! I caught her by surprise, dude, whacking her with one good, hard thunk! She went limp... And then she never moved again..."

He sighed, closing his eyes and crossing his arms.

"Finally realizing what I'd done... I knew I'd be executed if I didn't do something... So I wrote 'FUKAWA' in blood in the magazine on the table and got right the hell outta there..."

"Y-You little- ...There's a special place in hell for people like you!" Fukawa was outraged.

"And that's everything that happened, dudes... Do anything you want with me, I'll take it..."

Asahina's glare was back, yay. "We're not just going to do anything... We're going to execute you... for murdering Sakura..." She turned to Monokuma, who was silent the whole time. "We can cast our ballots now, right? We've got our culprit right here!"

But Kirigiri interrupted her. "I don't believe Hagakure's done testifying yet..."

"Huh? What do you mean, not done?" The swimmer was visibly confused.

"What he's told us so far doesn't explain everything he did... And until everything's been explained, we can't stop asking questions."

Naegi brought his hand to his chin. "Now that you think about it, you never explained why you hid the magazine, did you, Hagakure?"

"Huh?"

"When we found the body, the magazine with the 'dying message' had been returned to the rack... Why would you intentionally make it more difficult to find? That defeats the purpose of the red herring." The luckster continued.

"Actually... About that, uh... I didn't hide it anywhere... I left it right there on the table..."

"What?" Naegi seemed surprised.

"L-Liar! He must be lying!" Fukawa blurted.

Kirigiri shook her head. "Having already confessed to the murder, I can't imagine he'd start lying now..."

"Then he's... telling the truth?" Asahina seemed conflicted, her expression a mixture of anger and confusion.

"Which would mean someone other than Hagakure put that magazine back in the rack... Which means he's not the only person who was in the rec room around the time of the murder..." Togami concluded.

"More than likely, that hypothesis is exactly right..." Kirigiri confirmed with a nod.

"...And it was you." The swimmer directed her glare at Togami and pointed her finger at him. He simply raised an eyebrown.

"...The hell?"

"Admit it! No one other than you... You say such cruel things about Sakura... That means... You must've helped to kill her! A monster like you... Is completely capable of that!"

Togami sighed. He adjusted his glasses, willing to waste some of his time to deliver his message.

"I grow tired of this. Let me make this clear so that I won't have to explain this to you again: **I couldn't care less** if you're angry at me for the things I've said and done. If you're going to accuse me of **anything** , then you better have evidence to support that. We're **not** here to listen to baseless assumptions, so it's in your best interest to **stop** provoking me and start doing something useful to help find the culprit."

"You-!"

"Asahina... Please. I know how you feel... But I honestly don't think Togami is the one we're looking for here." Kirigiri's voice was... soft.

It made the swimmer stop on her tracks and forget her anger, even if momentarily. She then looked at the white-haired girl, confused.

"Th- Then, who else was there?!" Asahina asked, tears forming on her eyes again.

"Assuming the're the person who hid the magazine... That would make them someone who would be inconvenienced if it were discovered..."

 _"The answer is obvious."_ Togami thought.

Apparently, Naegi reached the same conclusion. "It was Fukawa, wasn't it?"

The bookworm, still biting her lip, was caught off guard. "What?"

"I mean, who else would be inconvenienced by a 'dying message' other than the person whose name is on it?" Naegi explained himself.

Asahina turned her attention to the bookworm, her eyes full of suspicion. "Is it true? Did you go to the rec room, too?"

"Wh- Why... Would I?" Fukawa seemed nervous for a moment, but suddenly gritted her teeth in anger. "N-No, forget about that... N-None of this even matters! We already know... Who the killer is! H-He even... confessed to killing her!"

Luckily for her, the mentioned person confirmed her statement. "Yes, it's true. I did it."

But to their surprise...

"No, you didn't." Naegi spoke up;

"Wh- What are you doing speaking for him?!" Fukawa glared at the boy.

He dismissed the glare and continued. "Yes, Hagakure struck Oogami with a bottle. But that's not where this case ends..."

"It doesn't end there? What do you mean?" Asahina asked.

Kirigiri closed her eyes. "He means that Hagakure isn't the murderer..."

Fukawa sneered. "Wh- Wh- What are you talking about?! That's... That's not possible!"

"In that case, why don't we have him recount his testimony for us?" Kirigiri crossed her arms. "That would make it abundantly clear that he is **not** the culprit in this case..."

Hagakure didn't quite get it, but he was more than willing to not be framed as the killer. "Umm... So, whaddya want me to do?"

Kirigiri turned to him. "Just tell us exactly what you told us before... About when you attacked Oogami..."

"N-Not sure what the point of all this is... But you got it, dude!" He straightened himself. "I... whacked her upside the head... With one of the Monokuma bottles on the cabinet... One good, hard thunk from behind!"

The white-haired girl brought a hand to her chin. "When you say 'one good, hard thunk'... You're saying you only struck her once, right?"

"Yeah, I just hit her once, dude. When I did, it broke the bottle... And then... Ogre went limp..."

Fukawa grinned. "See? It's settled... Hagakure... Is the culprit!"

Naegi shook his head. "If Oogami died from Hagakure's blow, it doesn't explain why she had two wounds on her head..."

The shaman's eyes widened. "Huh? Two wounds?"

"Yes... She had two wounds on her head." Kirigiri nodded.

Togami frowned. He had examined the body and hadn't noticed the woman had two wounds. It was obvious she had been struck with something, but saying it was twice... That required some medical expertise he didn't possess... But somehow, that person had it...? Once again, the white-haired girl proved just how dangerous she was.

"So says the woman who makes a habit of touching every corpse she comes across. I see no reason to doubt her." The scion smirked.

Hagakure was at a loss. "But I only hit her once... So why did she have two wounds on her head?"

"Because she was actually struck twice- with a Monokuma bottle each time."

"H-Hold on a second! H-How can you... tell all that just by looking at the wounds on her head? Not only that she was struck twice... But that both were with Monokuma bottles?"

Now that was a question Togami himself was interested about. He wanted to see how much exactly the woman was able to deduce from something so vague as a look into one's wounds. That is, it that's all she did...

"Her wounds aren't the only evidence I have... The Monokuma Bottles at the scene support it as well. There was something obviously **not right** about the Monokuma Bottles I found there... And when you realize that, you'll know why she had to have been struck twice with Monokuma bottles. Think back to the rec room after the incident... There were **four** Monokuma Bottles on the cabinet, right? In addition, there was a single bottle's worth of shards and one Monokuma figure on the floor..."

"That's the bottle Hagakure broke when he struck Oogami, isn't it?" Naegi asked, trying to follow the girl's logic.

She nodded. "In other words, there were four full Monokuma Bottles and a single bottle's worth of shards at the scene... However, there should have been **six** Monokuma Bottles. One's missing...

Fukawa grew stiffer. "How... do you know there were a total... O-Of six bottles?"

"Easy. Just look at **the pattern** hidden in the set of bottles, and you'll understand."

Togami had to admit, he was impressed. Just as he expected, she figured out about the bottles by analyzing the pattern between the bottles. He hadn't figured it out until she brought it up, but now that he thought about it, it made sense. By looking at the scene and not paying attention, one would be led to believe only a single bottle was used. But it was clearly not the case.

Because the pattern was in...

"That's right! The chess pieces!" Naegi exclaimed. Togami 'hmph'-ed. Seemed like the luckster had the same deduction. "Every single on of the Monokuma figures in the bottle is holding a chess piece. King, rook, bishop, pawn... They are, indeed, all chess pieces. And then the figure in the broken bottle... Was holding a knight."

"Wh- Where are you... going with this?"

"You don't seem to be very familiar with chess. Then allow me to explain... There are a total of **six different pieces** in chess: King, queen, rook, knight, bishop and pawn. However, at the scene, there was only the king, rook, bishop, pawn... and the knight on the floor."

"Oh! There's no figure holding a queen!" Asahina stated, finally grasping the situation.

"Exactly. There were only five Monokuma bottles at the crime scene- one fewer than there should have been." Naegi confirmed.

Fukawa gritted her teeth. "Wh- Whaaaat? What does this stuff about chess matter?!"

Hagakure nodded. "We're in Japan, so it should be shogi, dude!"

"Precisely! ...Not! What I'm trying to say is... Sure, there may be a bottle missing... But there's no evidence linking that... To this murder... Not one bit... Maybe one... One had already gone missing... B-Before the murder!" The bookworm said, glaring from behind her glasses.

"Nope. The missing Monokuma Bottle is clearly connected to this case." Kirigiri stated confidently.

Fukawa pointed an accusing finger at her. "I-In what way?!"

"Consider what state the missing Monokuma Bottle would have to be in... and it should be obvious." She looked away, giving no more hints.

"In all likelihood, the missing Monokuma Bottle was broken into pieces..." Naegi told them.

Fukawa started sweating. "A-And how... do you know that?!"

"Because... There was evidence left behind..."

"Evidence?" Asahina asked Kirigiri, slightly confused as she didn't really do any investigation.

Naegi's expression got serious. "Evidence suggesting there wasn't just a single broken bottle at the scene."

"Wh- What evidence?" The bookworm bit her lip even harder.

"Earlier, Kirigiri and I did a little experiment. We compared the weight of an unbroken Monokuma Bottle to that of the fragments scattered on the floor. And what we found... Is that the fragments **weighed more**. The reason for that being... There was **more than one** bottle's worth of fragments at the scene."

"Ah!" Fukawa's eyes widened in surprise.

And so did Togami's. He didn't expect the two little detectives to conduct such an experiment. He thought they had reached the conclusion thanks to the chess pieces... But they had gone even further beyond. He remained silent as he mentally cursed them for exceeding his expectations.

"In other words, **two** Monokuma Bottles were broken at the scene... But someone disposed of one of the figures and some of the bottle fragments... Though, whoever it was mistakenly left too many fragments on the floor. Admittedly, it **would** be difficult to get exactly the right amount..."

Asahina was starting to understand. "But... Why would they need to get rid of some of the bottle fragments?"

"Because they hold some bearing on this case. The disposed bottle... Was used on the second attack on Oogami." Naegi explained, taking the opportunity to review his facts.

Kirigiri crossed her arms. "The two wounds on Oogami's head... The two broken bottles... Taking both into consideration, that's the only conclusion you can draw..."

"By getting rid of only one bottle's fragments, the culprit made it look like there had been one attack."

"In which case, the person who struck her second would have to be someone **other** than Hagakure." After presenting her evidence along with Naegi, Kirigiri finally locked eyes with the bookworm. "Isn't that right, Fukawa?"

"Ehhhh?!" She grabbed both her twin-tails, nervously.

Kirigiri didn't stop. "There's also the fact that you hid the magazine... Making it very likely you were at the scene."

Finally, Fukawa was able to interject. "W-W-W-Wait, wait... So maybe... She was attacked a second time... B-But where's... the evidence... That I'm the one... who did it?!"

"There's no question! You're the culprit, dude!" Hagakure, who had been silent for some time- silently appreciating he wasn't the focus of the trial anymore, pointed his finger at the bookworm.

Fukawa glared daggers at him. "Y-Yoooou! Were you not **just** saying it was **you** who did it?!"

"I'm not afraid to admit my mistakes! I'm just that kinda guy, dude!" Feeling confident out of a sudden, Hagakure started talking with a tinge of excitement. "Plus, I just remembered something that seals the deal!

Togami sighed in annoyance. "On the off chance there might be something to it, we'll hear you out..."

The shaman nodded nervously. "Just after I recieved Ogre's invitation... I was kinda wiggin' out about everything, so I went up there early and staked out of the rec room. A little bit later, I saw her... I saw 'Kawa goin' into the rec room! Ogre showed up and went in not long after... Since I thought 'Kawa was in there, too, I was feelin' a little better about things and went in on myself... But Ogre was the only one there! 'Kawa had vanished into thin air, dude!"

"And why would you wait until **now** to tell us something so vital?" Togami glared at the shaman through gritted teeth, in total disbelief at how the man kept proving himself to be an idiot with each passing second. Had he gone straight to the point minutes ago, they wouldn't be wasting their times as they were now.

"I was in so much shock at having committed a murder, dude, I completely forgot about it!"

The scion shook his head, having had evough. "Someone, go find this fool his marbles."

The shaman redirected his attention to the bookworm. "Yo, 'Kawa! Where'd you disappear to?!"

"Y-You're confusing me for someone else... I didn't... didn't go to the rec room!" The girl nervously held a tight grip of her shirt.

"Maybe she didn't disappear, but was just hiding... Somewhere in the rec room." Kirigiri said to no one in particular.

Fukawa gasped. "What?!" She started shaking. "I-I-I wasn't hiding in the rec room... Why would- Why would I do that?! Wh- Wh- What's wrong with you?! Making all these baseless accusations! Y-Y-Y-Y-You accursed... v-v- **vermin**!"

Togami sighed and shook his head silently at the pathetic display. Fukawa desperately tried to prevent Naegi from exposing the evidence that placed her at the scene. Still, that made the scion wonder what exactly it was. Had he overlooked something again? Her behaviour was definitely suspicious, but what exactly proved that **she** was the one there? Where could she possibly hide in such a small room.

That's when it hit him.

 _"Impossible... She was *there*...?"_

His suspicions were confirmed by a certain boy.

"Were you aware of that handprints had been left in the rec room's locker? In all likelihood, someone was hiding in that locker, and that's when they left those handprints... Do you recognize them, Fukawa?"

Fear was evident in the bookworm's face now. "N-No, I don't!"

Kirigiri's expression darkened. "Then let's compare your hands with these handprints. That should tell us just what we want to know."

"..."

"Gaaaaaaaaaaaah!" After a moment of silence, the bookworm let out a deafing scream, feeling utterly cornered and helpless.

Togami had grown tired of it all. The trial wasn't progressing, and at that point, there was nothing the girl could say that would prove her innocence, since she clearly wasn't inoccent after all. He decided to intervene.

"Don't waste my time, Fukawa. Give me a straight answer..."

"Yes. They're my handprints."

Suddenly composed and speaking properly, she gave him his answer before finishing he could finish his sentence, making him unsure if he should be satisfied or annoyed. Her obssession for him was convenient at times, but definitely weird as well.

Hagakure was amused. "Whoa... Down without a fight, dude!"

Asahina clenched her fists. "Then... It was you who killed Sakura, too... Wasn't it?!"

"N-No way... I- I would never!" Her stuttering was back.

"The truth." The scion demanded.

"I killed her, probably..." And it was gone again.

"And again, not even a struggle!" Hagakure couldn't hide his surprise and amusement at the girl's antics.

But Asahina wasn't in a good mood. "What do you mean, 'probably'?

"Fukawa. Would you please tell us- in detail- what happened between you and Oogami?" Kirigiri asked politely.

"..." The girl was silent, struggling internally and avoiding eye contact. That is, until-

"Speak." Togami ordered.

"Wh- When I saw... Oogami's invitation... I decided I would... Show up a little early... Th- There's no saying what she'd have done if I didn't come... But I was still scared to face her directly... S-So I figured... I'd sneak in before she got there... and I hid... Inside the locker..." Once again, she complied without a fight.

Hagakure had a sudden realization. "Did you, by chance, see everything? Like, uh, the part where I clocked Ogre?"

The girl replied with a nod and a murderous glare. "A-And the part... Where you fabricated that dying message... Using **my name**!"

"Welp, uh... This is kinda awkward, dude..." He nervously scratched his head.

Fukawa brought her hands down and nervously fidgeted with her skirt. "S-So as soon as I saw you were gone... I got out of the locker... And put the magazine... Into the rack..."

"And when you did... You accidently put it back upside-down, didn't you?" Naegi asked.

"D-Don't blame me... I was in a hurry!"

Togami shook his head as gave everyone a condescending side glare "Imbeciles, every last one of you..."

Asahina dismissed the sweet comment and the magazine. "Never mind that... Why'd you attack Sakura?" She asked.

"R-Right after I put the magazine back... I heard... What sounded like a beast... Snarling behind me... A-And when... I turned around... There Oogami was... Covered in blood... G-Glaring at me!" She closed her eyes and placed both hands on her head, as if she had a headache. "I-I passed out... In front of the magazine rack... Because of the blood... S-So I don't... remember what happened after that... Only **she**... Can tell you..."

Before Naegi could ask who- as if it weren't obvious-, Fukawa sneezed. And the moment she did, she became a completely different person.

"Yahoooooo! I've made my glorious entrance!" The bookworm, now as her serial killer persona known as **Genocider Shou** , laughed as she picked up her beloved scissors from who knows where.

Hagakure was visibly intimidated, even using his arms to protect himself from nothing in particular. "So you're behind all of this!"

"My behind! My white knight's behind! When our two behind collide, we'll reach new heights!" Genocider Shou wore a perverted expression as she started fantasizing about her beloved, who happened to be right in front of her and not in the mood for such foolishness.

"Do not speak unless spoken to... Did you kill Sakura Oogami?" He ordered, then went straight to the point. He wouldn't allow this trial to be delayed for stupid reasons anymore.

Genocider rested a hand on her hip and let out her tongue, wearing a thoughtful expression.

"Weeeell, to start- and this is important- me and Little Miss Gloomy **don't share the same memory!** " She explained, expecting it to be relevant information and being fully aware that it was. "As a result, I'm not exactly sure what happened... All I know is, I was cathin' some primo Zs and **someone** had the **tenacity** to start frickin' shaking me!" She gritted her teeth in anger. " 'Is it my prince?' I wondered, and opened my eyes... And wowzers, splatter everywhere! Scared the pants right back on me! I was so scared... I smacked her with a nearby bottle! I mean, c'mon, that was scaaaary!" She started laughing.

"Sakura was just concerned about you... and yet... How awful!" The swimmer clenched her fists in anger.

The psycho pointed a scissor towards the girl. " **She's** the frickin' awful one! Thanks to her, I killed my first no-man hunk!"

"And after that, you disposed of the Monokuma Bottle fragments to get rid of the evidence?" Kirigiri inquired, having beeen carefully thinking about Fukawa's testimony in search for inconsistencies or important information.

"If I'm going down, I want it to be by riding my White Knight's corpse, not 'cause I killed some chick!" Genocider stated defiantly, a scissor in each hand. Togami clenched a fist in anger.

"Go off and die an empty, meaningless death somewhere- alone..."

Taking it as a joke(?) Genocider grinned and continued. "It wasn't just anyone's lucky day... The stars were aligned in all the wrong ways... I mean, really. Ogre'd have normally no problem brushing off a hit from a silly bottle!"

"As tough as she may be... She had still yet to recover from the damage Hagakure's attack inflicted..." Kirigiri explained.

"Well, uh... Not sure what to say..." Hagakure stood there, awkwardly. But suddenly got cheerful. "...But hey, that's great news, dude! I didn't actually kill Ogre!"

Then, something caught Togami's attention.

"Anyway, that settles it! Come on, let's cast our ballots!" A determined expression in Asahina's face.

 _"...?"_

"Come on! What's the hold up, guys?! You know what to do! Cast your ballots!"

He studied the swimmer silently. Something was off. He didn't know her all that well and he certainly didn't want to, but there was definitely something about her behaviour that made him on high alert. The lack of reaction on her part when someone just made a rude comment about her deceased friend was out of her character. Not just that, but she was being unusually pushy for the votes...

And he knew why.

"No... There's still more." He said.

She stared at him in disbelief. "Huh? More? More what?" Her tone grew more aggressive with each word. But the young man didn't feel intimidated in the slightest.

"Did nothing strike you as off about Fukawa's story? No, it **had** to have. There's **no way** it couldn't have... Unless, of course, you all are as idiotic as I consider you to be."

"Huh? Whaddya mean, 'off'?" Hagakure asked, his face being clear evidence that he had no idea what the scion was talking about. Maybe they really were as idiotic as he thought...

"There was Hagakure's attack... Then Fukawa's attack... But the case doesn't end there." He turned to the homicidal maniac. "Oy, Fukawa... Give us your testimony one more time. Everything that happened after you passed out... As airheaded as there nimrods may be, even **they** should be able to catch on, hearing it a second time."

"Roger, darling!" Genocider was pleased with the request, even going as far as letting out a rather erotic moan for seemingly no reason. "I was just catchin' some Zs... And Ogre shook me awake! I woke up in front of the magazine rack!"

"Seein' Ogre all bloody, you freaked... And bashed her with the Moonokuma Bottle, didn't ya?" Hagakure tried to follow so Togami wouldn't look down on him.

The serial killer nodded, letting out a sickening, maniacal laugh. "You got it! Ogre got gored!"

"And where did you strike Oogami?" Togami asked, already knowing the answer. The reason for his question was simply to lead the others and see if they were capable of grasping the situation at hand.

"Same place I woke up! I did her by the magazine rack!"

That's when something clicked on Naegi's head.

"Oogami passed away sitting on the couch... If the blow she suffered in front of the magazine racck was her cause of death, then how did she get there?" He finally caught Togami's point.

"About time you realized..." The scion commented.

"Easy! That homicidal maniac is lying!" Asahina blurted out.

Hagakure teamed up with her. "You **really** knocked Ogre while she was sittin' down, didn't ya? Well? How 'bout it?" He pointed an accusing finger.

"No, she was undoubtedly struck in front of the rack. Anyone who saw the scene would agree with me." Togami interceded. Those idiots really couldn't make a basic assumption from such clear evidence...

Or... **A certain someone** was refusing to see them **on purpose**...

"She **was** attacked near the magazine rack. The blood in front of the rack is all the evidence you need of that." Naegi confirmed Togami's claim.

Hagakure started getting confused again. "Couldn't Genocider just have moved Ogre's body after killing her? That way, it'd look like I was the killer, since she was sitting down when I wacked her!" He said confidently, leaving Togami surprised that something that made actual sense left his mouth since the start of the trial.

However...

"Whoa, whoa, hold your horses! I can't carry anything heavier than these Genoscissors! There's no effin' way I coulda moved that monstrous mass o' muscle!"

The shaman's confidence disappeared as soon as it came. "Then... what the hell, dude?"

"So? Are you still going to try and tell me there isn't anything else to this case?" Togami asked the swimmer.

"B-But..."

"Besides, we still haven't answered this murder's biggest question: How the sealed room was constructed." Kirigiri, wearing a thoughtful expression, shared her thought as it came back to haunt her. "Until we solve that mystery, we can't say we've solved this case..."

"How she constructed the sealed room? Easy!" Asahina grew angrier and more impatient with each passing second. "After killing Sakura, Fukawa got back into the locker!"

"I gotcha! She was hidin' in the locker until you guys broke the seal!" Like a roller coaster, Hagakure was once again in high spirits. "Then, she took advantage of the confusion to slip outta the locker and into the crowd!"

"No, I don't think that's how it happened." Naegi said. Hagakure gave the fuck up. "You were there with us, Asahina, before I broke the rec room door's window. So you would have seen... That the locker was already open. There's no way Fukawa could have been hiding in there between then and when we broke into the room."

"Mmmm... Then, where **was** she hiding, dude?" A troubled Hagakure struggled to continue in the discussion.

Genocider shrugged. "Beats me. Anyway, what's all this about a sealed room?"

"You're the culprit, man! How could you now know?!" The shaman stared at the serial killer incredulously.

Earning an innocent smile from her in return. "Maybe, like, I'm not the culprit or something?!"

"Y-You're lying!" Asahina barked.

Togami smirked. "She isn't lying... As I've been saying, there's still more to this case."

"And why should we take your word for it?" The swimmer glared at him.

Togami took a deep breath, which almost sounded like a snarl thanks to how annoyed he was. "I swear, if you bring up the fact that 'I hated Oogami' again..."

The swimmer wasn't intimidated. "No... That much is pretty obvious to everyone by now... My point here is... Why should we listen to you when you're friends... with **him**?!" The girl pointed at the dual-colored bear, maintaining a piercing glare as she did so.

"Oh?" The bear tilted it's head and brought a hand to it's mouth. No one could tell if it was from confusion or amusement.

Asahina continued. "That's right... I mean... You know who is behind all this... Yet you didn't tell us? Sounds to me you're protecting whoever it is... How can we trust you?!"

"My white knight's defending meee? I trust him with every fiber of my bodyyy~!" Genocider let out a moan, beaming with happiness.

Togami on the other hand was about to blow up from anger. Seriously, the swimmer brought up the most random of facts at the most random times possible. If she wasn't doing it to piss him off, then he didn't know what it was for.

"Asahina... He made it pretty clear that he'd explain it all to us once the trial ended. Bringing this up now won't be of help..." Kirigiri interjected. It seemed like she, too, was also getting tired of Asahina's accusations, which was convenient for the scion.

The swimmer eyed her incredulously. "How is it not?! I mean... He hated Sakura for being the puppetmaster's mole... But suddenly he gets to know it's true identity? For all we know... He could be the new mole! There's no way we can trust him!"

"Asahina, please..." Naegi tried to reason with her, but to no avail. She sure was stubborn when she wanted to be.

"I don't need your **trust**. I have **facts** , and that's all I need to prove my point. And if you absolutely need to know, I'm **not** affiliated with that scoundrel in any way." Togami said seriously, referring to Monokuma. He managed to remain composed, but there was no denying he was being provoked and was hopelessly falling deeper and deeper into his anger.

The bear seemed downcast. "Ow... Togami-kun is so mean... And here I thought we were starting to be buddies..."

"I'd rather kill myself than develop any kind of relationship with the likes of you. Now be a good boy and shut the hell up." Togami stared at the bear in disgust.

"Aye..." The bear looked down with a sad expression.

Hagakure was amazed, yet a little intimidated himself. "Wow... Toges' got Monokuma tamed, dude..."

"Did he? I thought I just heard they were 'buddies'... And we're supposed to believe him?" Asahina's suspicious glare became more intense. Togami tch'ed at Monokuma, who silently giggled to himself. So that's was it's plan...

But he remained composed, calmly crossing his arms. "You believed in Sakura, didn't you? And she **was** the puppetmaster's mole." Asahina wanted to say something, but the words never left her mouth. Togami continued. "And you still believe her, as you keep 'defending' her, even after it was clear she was involved with that thing. In other words, you don't believe me because I could be a mole for that garbage over there... You're talking out of nothing but spite."

"You're wro-"

"Am I?" He raised his chin as he glared at her. "Then prove me otherwise. No matter what you say, the truth is obvious."

"You think you-"

" **Enoooooough!** " A sudden yell from Monokuma brought everyone's attention to it. "You're boring me! Stop discussing pointless things and go back to the main topic already!"

Togami sighed. "Hmph. To think I'd ever agree with something you said. But very well. Disregarding certain petty accusations, I can say for sure that Fukawa is not the culprit." He stated. Asahina glared at him, but said nothing this time.

"But if Genocider ain't the culprit, that means the blow to her head **isn't** what killed Ogre..."

"And what of it?" Togami asked him. The question took the shaman by surprise, considering how serious he scion sounded.

"Th- There isn't... any other explanation... for how she died..." A confused Asahina tried in vain to reason with Togami, as he didn't show any weaknesses at all.

"Are you sure you haven't overlooked some other possibility?" The scion went back to his smirk, clearly mocking the others.

Hagakure tried hard to keep up. "Uh... Assuming Ogre's cause of death wasn't the blow to the back of her head... Then, what did kill her?"

"There're no other possibilities... Her cause of death... Was the wound on her head- nothing else!" Asahina insisted on her version.

"So it's back to being on me?!" Genocider asked, her tone implying she was surprised but her expression being one of amusement.

Naegi shook his head, apparently in deep thought. "The Monokuma File says that Oogami had vomited blood... Could that possibly have something to do with how she died? There were even traces of it left on her corpse..."

"She could have just... Bit her cheek or her tongue when she was hit on the head..." The swimmer suggested, not really believing her own words.

Nor was Kirigiri. "If she had just bitten herself, the Monokuma File surely wouldn't have said she had 'vomited' blood. Furthermore, there weren't any cuts or bite wounds inside her mouth..."

Genocider seemed genuinely surprised. "You investigated **that** closely?! Damn, girl, you must loooove you some dead bodies!"

"It's not the dead bodies I'm interested in- just solving mysteries." Kirigiri replied, giving no satisfaction to the disappointed, psychotic murderer.

"But dude, if she didn't bite the inside of her mouth, then what made her puke blood?"

Togami finally decided to stop wasting his time by waiting for such mongrels to reach a conclusion themselves. The fact they couldn't see something so simple seriouly made him sick.

"It would have to be something that occurred internally. Chances are... Sakura Oogami was murdered **by poisoning**..." It was so obvious. Yet he made a mistake by expecting them to see it.

Hagakure's face betrayed no trace of how the possibility never crossed his mind. "She was... Poisoned?"

"Precisely! And don't waste your time questioning it- After all, **I'm** the one who reached that conclusion." The scion made no effort to hide how superior he considered himself to be compared to everyone else.

"Hnnnngh! Hawwwt!" Genocider made perverted sounds as she blushed and hugged herself tightly, in what seemed to be herself controlling her urge to strip and get slapped by Togami.

Asahina tried to ignore the awkward scene. "Sh- She was poisoned? That's stupid!"

"Don't believe it? Then allow me to explain just how the culprit got Oogami to take the poison..." As the words left his mouth, he turned a menacing glance towards Asahina, who couldn't help but feel nervous and confused.

"Y-You think you **can** explain it?" She made a pathetic excuse at trying to argue with the scion.

"Damn right, I do. Let's get started." He smirked.

The time for him to show just how superior he was from everyone else had come.

...

...

...

 _ **T** **o be continued...**_

* * *

 _ **Well, there we have it. It's a pretty long trial, so I'll try to finish it on the next chapter, which is already being written. Don't forget to review! See you soon!**_


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